


Welcome to Miami

by Shastelly



Series: Miami Beach - White Lion AU [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe, Amputation, Angst, Coran is Alfred, F/F, F/M, Gen, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt Lance (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Minor Character Death, Near Future, Organized Crime, PTSD Shiro, Police, This song is now stuck in my head, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Vigilantism, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2019-10-03 00:29:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 57,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17273699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shastelly/pseuds/Shastelly
Summary: AU - Near Future - Something was going on in Miami Beach, something big, Captain Takashi Shirogane was certain of it. It involved the worst organized crime group he'd ever dealt with in his career, the Galra. His adopted brother, Keith was the lead detective on the case, he might be young, but he was good. So how do Shiro's ex, the lawyer Adam West, and some illegal immigrant kid from Cuba fit into this mess?Special Request Story for Shiranai AtsuneCross posted on Fanfiction.net





	1. Chapter 1

"Adam." Captain Shirogane, nodded to the lawyer as he rolled into the station, and tried desperately to suppress the surge of guilt welling up inside of him. "What brings you down?"

"I got a case, pro bono work." He looked up, pushing his glasses up on his nose. Calm, collected, and Shiro wished he would look angry or sad or anything other than just okay.

"What's the name? I can get you what you need. It's busy tonight." He wasn't lying the station was crazy and pretty much every detective had someone at their desk or were out of the station. There wasn't anyone else free, so it was either him or Adam could wait.

"Sure. It's a kid, McClain, Lance." He read from a file. His eyes locked briefly with Shiro's before looking past him. So maybe he wasn't entirely okay either.

"Oh, yeah, he's in interrogation already. Hasn't asked for a lawyer? How'd you get the call?" Shiro looked up wary. Adam was a damn good attorney and he didn't take a lot of pro bono work. Something more was going on here than was apparent. "We just picked him up for assault and battery, then found out he's an illegal. You sure this is the case you want?"

"That's the one. Can I talk to him?" Adam was direct as always and Shiro felt another pang of regret. He missed the times Adam had come in just to talk to him. A lot had changed since then.

"Yeah, just let me get the detective out of the room for you." Shiro sighed. Keith was not going to love this.

***

"Tell me, Mr. McClain, why did you assault Sendak?" Keith narrowed his eyes at the blue-eyed kid across the table. He was leaning back and staring off into the corner of the room practically ignoring Keith's every question. The kid was going to have a hell of a shiner, but he had refused all medical attention, and other than the bloody nose, it was the only obvious injury. Having gone toe to toe with Sendak, he probably had a lot more bruises that didn't show, the Galra enforcer had a good five inches and a hundred pounds on the lanky kid. Keith had been trying to get the kid to respond for better than an hour. It was not going well and he was starting to get a little pissed. "Look, Lance, Sendak is known around here, just give me the truth and maybe I can help you out. You're looking at deportation even if you don't end up doing time for this, what do you have to lose?"

The way Lance's eyes snapped to his made Keith feel like he'd finally stumbled onto something. The warm blue eyes looked almost afraid before they drifted away again.

"What? Do they have something on you? I can help you, just work with me." Keith latched on to the thread, maybe he could unravel this after all. He really didn't have any desire to see this kid do time for kicking the shit out of that lowlife Sendak. Hell, Keith would like to kick the shit out of him too. He was honestly impressed at how much damage he had managed. Sendak had a broken nose for sure and the way he was cradling his arm to his body, probably busted that too.

"Detective." Keith turned and frowned at the two way mirror, seriously not now, he was getting somewhere. "Detective, Mr. McLain's lawyer has arrived."

Keith would have sworn Lance looked surprised at first, but then gave him a lazy grin. "Sorry, there Mr. Police Detective, I gotta talk with the lawyer now."

He crossed his arms and gave an almost challenging stare. Keith could have sworn he had been getting through and this just sucked. He folded his case file and stood to leave. Before he exited, he turned to Lance once more. He was surprised to see the façade had been dropped already and the kid looked nervous. He slapped the cocky grin back in place and raised an eyebrow when he noticed Keith had turned back to look at him.

"Work with me, not against me, and I promise I will do what I can for you." The kid nodded, maybe he would actually listen and maybe not. He ducked out the door, it was more than he'd gotten up to this point, but he couldn't contain the frustration, he'd been close to getting though he knew it.

***

"Damn it, Shiro, he was this close to giving me something!" Keith slammed the folder on the table.

"His lawyer wants to talk with him, Keith, let's not screw something up on a technicality. Besides that, it's Adam."

Keith gritted his teeth. Adam and him weren't exactly on speaking terms just now, as in he had no desire to speak with the lawyer that had basically walked out on Shiro. Keith inwardly cringed at his insensitive wording. Adam wouldn't be walking anywhere anymore, not after the incident. It was complicated, he knew that, but he couldn't help but blame the guy who left. His own life was full of people leaving and he had never dreamed Adam would be added to the list.

"Keith, you have to stop blaming him." Shiro always could read his mind.

"Whatever, this isn't the place to get into it and you agreed to call me detective at work." Keith frowned.

"We're alone, Detective Kogane and it's not like you addressed me as Captain." Shiro literally rolled his eyes.

***

Lance watched warily as he lawyer he didn't ask for rolled into the room. He had dark hair, graying a little, glasses, and was in a wheelchair. He had on an expensive grey suit, with a deep magenta tie, and seriously shined shoes. He opened the leather briefcase on his lap when he got up to the table.

"Mr. McClain, a friend requested I take your case. My name is Adam West."

"I don't have any friends." Lance narrowed his eyes, "and I don't have any money. Also seriously, batman much?"

"No payment is needed, I have taken the case pro bono, and it might be true that you don't think you have any friends, but if you want to get through this alive, I think you are going to need some. And also, my parents were fans." Adam spoke seriously and calmly. He instantly gave the impression of knowing a lot more than he should.

"How, do you? Who called you?" Lance leaned forward, afraid the police would catch on to what was being said.

"You don't need to worry, no one is listening to us. As your lawyer we have the right to this private conversation. I was contacted by an interested third party. He became aware of your situation and is interested in offering you a deal."

Lance leaned back again. He didn't know what he was doing, but he did know he had to get out of here. He had something he had to do. "Look Batman, I don't know what you are up to, but if you can get me out of here, I'll at least listen to what he wants, alright. I have someplace I need to be like two hours ago." Lance decided to play this forceful, once he got out of here he could split. He had his own issues to deal with and he didn't have time for this shadow game.

"Of course, Let me make the arrangements for bail. I will have you released within the hour. Though as your benefactor will be putting up the bail money, he will require you to stay in my custody." Adam began putting the papers back into his file.

Lance glared, like death glare, at the stuffed suit. That was not exactly what he'd had in mind. Oh well, once they were out he would just have to give the stiff the slip. It wouldn't delay him too much more than he already was, he glanced nervously back at the clock.

***

On the other side of town, Hunk was waiting. Lance was over three hours past due. He didn't want to leave, but he couldn't wait forever, it wasn't safe. He wiped tears from his eyes, the odds were not good that Lance was coming back at this point. Deliveries either went well and you came back or you didn't come back, either picked up by the police or dead.

He was not looking forward to telling Lance's family, but Veronica especially, that Lance hadn't made it back home. Veronica was like their den mother. She watched out for them, but Lance was her actual little brother and she loved him. Their parents were all gone, taken, disappeared, and it left them alone to fend for themselves. None of them knew where their parents were or if they were even alive. It had been going on for a long time in the immigrant community, people just going missing. Usually healthy adults that left their homes one morning and didn't return.

Hunk was lucky that he was actually able to report his parents missing. He was here legally, not that it had done him any good. But at least he didn't need to worry about deportation; a lot of other families like Lance's didn't have that luxury. The McClain's had been smuggled aboard one of the Galra's many transports, brought in for cheap labor in one of the underground factories. The Galra basically sold the immigrants like slaves to the companies and they were expected to work off their debt to the Galra for the voyage while barely being paid enough to buy food and housing.

Hunk's family had fallen on hard times after his father had lost his job working as a shift manager at a local auto repair shop. They had moved to this neighborhood because it was all they could afford on his mom's waitressing wages. Then about four months ago, she didn't come home from work. His dad went out to find her and he didn't come back either. Hunk stayed at the apartment for the rest of the month, but he didn't have the money to pay for the rent, so he'd moved out everything he could and went to live with Lance and his family.

The McClain's had been the first family to welcome them to the neighborhood, but they hadn't been the only ones. There were a lot of great people living in this dump and nearly all of them had been kind to him and his family. He and Lance had hit it off right away; they just clicked.

Three weeks later after Hunk moved in the McClain's didn't come home from their factory jobs. All four of Lance's older siblings and his sister in law were working. Lisa ran a day care for the kids in the building including her little ones, Slyvio and Nadia, though she rarely got money, usually just goods in trade. Veronica and Luis both worked for a construction group. Rachael worked at the same diner Hunk's mom had worked at and Marco worked at a warehouse. But with the amount of money they owed the Galra for moving so many of them, it was still not enough.

Hunk had figured out Veronica and Lois hadn't been eating but one meal a day in order to have enough food to feed the rest of them and even that wasn't really enough, the little ones would cry themselves to sleep, hungry.

A month after the McClain's went missing a father and two mothers went missing and left behind a six year old boy named Carlos, a ten year old named Tori, and a three month old named Alice. They were all illegal. They didn't have family. They were alone, so of course, Veronica packed them up and brought them to the four bedroom apartment they all shared.

So, he and Lance had found the job delivering packages for Sendak. It wasn't safe, it wasn't legal, and they both despised the Galra and everything they stood for, but they loved Lance's family more. If Veronica knew where they were getting the money she didn't say anything. She just accepted the money with tears in her eyes.

He wiped more tears from his eyes. He would go out and look for Lance tomorrow, but for tonight he would have to go home and tell them all that Lance hadn't made it back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> small edit - I only typed the wrong color for Lance's eyes...yeesh...I blame autocorrect...really...


	2. Chapter 2

Keith was still sitting at his desk when Shiro got ready to leave for the night. Shifts had changed over three hours ago, but there he sat, files open computer running staring at it, like the answer was there and he just needed to look harder.  
  
"Keith, want a ride home?" He usually took the bus. He didn't like leaving his bike parked in the garage and he drove an undercover car from the pool if ne needed something for work. Keith glared up at Shiro. He'd learned a long time ago to ignore his younger siblings glares and look beyond them. Keith had dark circles under his eyes, his hair was a mess, he had day old stains on his clothes like he hadn't bothered to change, and probably hadn't slept either. "Come on, kid, fresh eyes in the morning?" Shiro knew better than to demand or order, Keith would just automatically do the opposite if that was what he did.  
  
Keith stopped what he was doing, he sighed, he was running on caffeine and cigarettes, and his brain was mush. Maybe Shiro was right, maybe he needed a break. He folded up his files and stuffed them into the black leather backpack he carried. He stood and followed Shiro out of the bullpen. They didn't speak. It wasn't necessary.  
  
Keith climbed into the passenger side of Shiro's sedan. He leaned back and buckled up. Two months, two months and fifteen missing person reports. He was struggling. He was angry. He knew, he just knew who was behind it and he couldn't pin anything on him. Zarkon, head of the Galra, it was him. Keith knew it. He knew it and he couldn't prove it. He had interviewed families of the missing. Crying, demanding, begging families - all they wanted was their loved ones back. His body practically vibrated with emotion, he didn't know what to do.  
  
"Keith?" Oh yeah, Shiro was here.  
  
"I got this. I'm just frustrated. This is a rough one and you know it." Keith was resigned. His brother knew how to separate their personal and professional relationships, but right now he was probably concerned from both sides.  
  
"I know, Keith, I know. I'm just worried about you." Shiro stared straight ahead, but was actually watching Keith in the rearview mirror. This was a waking nightmare. His brother was determined to take down the Galra. The problem was the Galra tended to take down good cops not the other way around - or the people they cared about.  
  
"Shiro, I know. You know that I do and I'm being as careful as I can, but this has to stop. It can't keep happening. They get away with everything. They got away with what they did to you, what they did to Adam, what they are doing to these people. It can't just keep happening. Someone has to stop them." Keith punched the dash in frustration and shook his hand at the pain.  
  
"Yeah, careful." Shiro shook his head sadly, he knew Keith. He knew what Keith was like. He knew he couldn't stop him. He could only help him as much as possible. "How about in the morning, I go over it with you, maybe a fresh set of eyes will see something you missed?"  
  
Shiro suppressed the shudder and the memories. He had been held by his captors for nearly a year. His prosthetic arm was the reason he rode a desk these days. He knew it had been Galra ordered, his torture and capture. He'd been too close to their drug business and they had taken steps. The gang that held him was busted, most of them went out shooting, they took the fall for the drug ring he'd been working on and there was nothing to connect them to the Galra and nothing to connect the Galra to the drugs. He had pursued it anyway, he'd tired and had found a link he thought might work, someone had helped him escape and he'd thought he might be able to track back something through them. It was a week later that Adam had been in the car wreck. A little too convenient, a little too coincidental, and the sympathy note he received from Zarkon himself sealed the message for him. Adam was paralyzed from the waist down.  
  
They'd had a falling out after that. Shiro wanted to protect Adam, he knew it was his fault. So he'd let the argument progress far beyond where it needed and Adam had left. Packed up his things and moved out the next morning. Shiro felt relieved in a way, at least Adam was out of the line of fire. On the other hand, it hurt. He'd lost enough to the Galra, losing Adam was just one more thing. And now, now here was Keith headed down the same path. Shiro needed a drink.  
  
The radio was on and he turned it up when he heard two words he hated - white lion.  
  
"The White Lion is credited with a one billion dollar drug bust. This morning three criminals were found tied up outside their home on the lower east side. Inside the police found the drugs, drug making equipment and paraphernalia. This is the fifth drug house brought down by the White Lion in the last six months."  
  
The news stopped and Shiro realized he'd been gripping the steering wheel so tight that his hand hurt and Keith had said his name more than once.  
  
"I'm sorry, what?" Shiro looked over to Keith, who looked concerned.  
  
"Don't zone out on me when you're driving, man, you just ran a red light."  
  
Shiro shook his head blushing, "I'm sorry, Keith, I'm sorry."  
  
"Shiro, let's just go home. It's okay. I need the break. Let's order some take out? Chinese?" Keith's eyes were sad, he knew what was bothering Shiro.  
  
"Yeah, that sounds good, you want to order?" Keith nodded and ordered for delivery. He took deep breaths, this day was just pulling up all the bad memories. The White Lion, the crazy vigilante that seemed to have it out for the Galra. He had been part of Shiro's escape from the Galra. Shiro remembered seeing him the day he escaped. He had helped him and for a time he really thought this guy was a hero. But then on the day of Adam's wreck the White Lion had been seen in the area, by all accounts the White Lion had been in the car with Adam, but had left Adam there. Left him broken and alone in the car and just left him. Shiro knew the Galra had caused the accident, but the White Lion had left Adam to die and he wasn't about to forgive him either.

***

"So, Lance, right? What do you want for supper tonight? I can call ahead and make a request." Adam was driving the luxury sedan out to the where the old money lived.  
  
Lance sat nervously in the passenger seat. This Adam was smarter than he looked he'd slapped an ankle alarm on Lance the moment they left the station. He hadn't had an opportunity to escape and he there was no way he could go home with this thing on his ankle. The sun was setting. Hunk would be telling his family he hadn't come home. They would think he was dead. He had almost been dead.

***flashback***

"Sendak." Lance walked up with the package. The big guy freaked Lance out. He had some kind of cybernetic implant in his eye and a prosthetic arm. Word on the street was that he'd had them changed on purpose, that he'd done it to be tougher. Lance wasn't sure if he was tougher, but he was surely creepier.  
  
"See boys, I told you the pretty boy would bring the stuff." Sendak laughed and stepped up to Lance, he was staggering drunk. This was not good. He stood and looked down into Lance's eye. He handed the package to him. Sendak took it and threw it behind him to one of his flunkies. Haxus, Lance thought his name was. He was thin and sleezy looking. Lance waited. He needed his payment, then he was out of here.  
  
Sendak grabbed him by the chin and forced him to look up at him. "How about some fun, kid, I can throw something a little extra into your payment."  
  
Lance shuddered. Sendak wasn't the first to offer, but he was the biggest and ugliest so far, "No, thank you. I'll just take my payment and go." Lance spoke calmly, ticking these guys off was not good for one's health.  
  
Sendak held out an envelop. He held it up in the air and laughed. "Okay little man, take it."  
  
Lance looked desperately around, what was he supposed to do, jump up and get it. A crowd was gathering, laughing at his predicament. He took a deep breath and jumped. Sendak pulled around and kicked his feet out from under him as he came down. He feel hard, cracking his head on the pavement, he didn't get the envelop.  
  
"Missed. Want to try again?" He waved the envelop. Lance needed that money. He needed to take it home to his family. They needed it. He got up shook his head and jumped again. This time Sendak punched him in the face. He came down hard, blood dripping from his nose. Laughter surrounded him, he couldn't see straight, but he couldn't give up either.  
  
"How about I make it easier." Sendak held the envelop right in front of him. "Come on, you piece of crap, come and take it." Lance charged him. He grabbed for the envelop and managed to get his hands on it. Then Sendak had that prosthetic wrapped around his throat. He was sure he was going to die.  
  
What happened next was hard to describe, there was someone big and white standing over him and Sendak had gone flying. The laughter had been drowned out by screaming. He'd clung to the envelop and watched it all play out as he tried to suck in a breath and remember he was still alive. Then there had been police. Sendak was lying on the ground moaning and clutching his human arm. He said Lance had attacked him. Lance hadn't attacked him, it had been the White Lion. He was sure there wasn't anyone else that could have done what he'd just seen. He used to think it was just a myth told to frighten people, but now that he saw it, well myths did not break Sendak's arm.  
  
Lance wasn't sure what to say. His envelop was taken from him by an angry detective with a bad hair cut. He was put in cuffs and hauled away. He knew there wasn't anything he could do. If he went against Sendak's story the rest of his family would suffer. He couldn't save himself. There was no way they wouldn't find out he was illegal. He had to protect his family.  
  
Detective Kogane had made some pretty good points, he'd almost talked him into cooperating. Then this crazy lawyer and his crazy benefactor showed up. He wasn't sure if he was out of trouble or walking into even more.

***end flashback***

"So no orders?"  
  
Lance huffed. He still felt like a prisoner.


	3. Chapter 3

The car pulled up to a 10 foot iron gate. It was elaborately decorated with golden accents and two cursive A's on either side. The gate attached to a brick wall that went as far as he could see either direction.  
  
Adam pushed a button on a box that swung out to the drivers side window as soon as he had stopped.  
  
"Good evening, Coran. I've returned with Mister McClain." Adam spoke into the box.  
  
"Ah, very good sir." A soft British accented voice answered and the gates swung open.  
  
"So, you live here?" Lance was staring out the window. The grass was neatly trimmed, there were sculpted bushes, fields of flowers, a lake surrounded by weeping willows, it looked like a park as far as he could see and the drive just kept going. He wondered exactly how big this place was.  
  
"Yes, I am the lawyer for the family, as such I have a place to stay. They are very kind and open people." Adam smiled softly. It was clear he was more than just a lawyer, he cared about these people.  
  
"Live in lawyer, giant estate, and…wow…," they had just crested a hill and the house was in front of them. House really wasn't the right word…"and a castle. Guessing they aren't your every day family?" Lance tried to control the shaking in his hands. He was so out of his element he felt like he couldn't breath.  
  
"Yes, I will introduce them to you. Hopefully you will be staying for awhile if you can reach an agreement with your benefactor. He made arrangements with Allura." Adam looked over and if he noticed the kids nerves he didn't say anything.  
  
"Allura?" Suddenly the script A's on the gate made sense. "The Allura?! Allura Altea, the supermodel, actress, singer, goddess?!" Lance knew his eyes must be as big as saucers. Tori was obsessed with Allura's music right now and it constantly played in their little apartment.  
  
"I'm not sure about the goddess part, but yes." Adam grinned.  
  
"The like more money than a billionaire, head of I don't know what a business empire?!" Lance wasn't over his shock just yet.  
  
"You done?"  
  
"The political activist, philanthropist, and like all around actual good person Allura?!  
  
"That part I can confirm as true." Adam pulled the car up to the house. It towered three stories up, gleaming white in the sun. It really looked like a princess castle from a fairy tale to Lance. It had tall spires and the front door was a story and a half high. There were beds of pink flowers surrounding the entire circle drive they had just pulled through and a script A in the middle of the drive in sculpted hedges. A robot floated over the hedge, trimming back the edges.  
  
"You have flying robot gardeners?" Lance just stared at the robot for awhile watching it carefully trim each edge with some sort of laser cutter.  
  
"Allura is very technology forward." Adam commented. He remembered his own reaction to some of the tech used in the Altea household. It was advanced compared to what he had known. Lance was just a kid from the street. It was hard to tell what he had been exposed to. Well at least all of what he had been exposed, some of it was obvious.  
  
He was painfully thin. His cheekbones stood stark in his face. His bright blue eyes were lovely against his warm brown skin, but his face was marred with two black eyes, a swollen nose, and a cut lip. It was clear someone had tried to clean him up, but the evidence of a beating was still there. Blood was dried into his white t-shirt and his pants legs were ripped at the knees revealing scabbed scrapes. There were bruises on his arms, but the worst bruise was the hand print that wrapped around his neck. His shoes were nearly worn through. His hair was longer than Adam kept his, but neatly trimmed, it was clear someone was taking care of him at least. He was probably sixteen or seventeen, he guessed.  
  
He walked carefully, nervously, he was guarded with Adam. He knew Lance was lying to him at least part of the time. He wasn't stupid and he didn't trust Adam. He was holding his side. He looked like he might be hurt more than he'd let on. Adam couldn't remember if he'd seen him get hit in the gut; he'd fallen hard a few times during the fight.  
  
They walked up the ramp to the door together. It swung open as they neared. Coran was waiting for them in the doorway.  
  
"Welcome home, Master West." Coran smiled warmly, his orange mustache twitching up with his smile. He wore a casual soft blue suit and a white button up shirt. "And this is Master McClain?"  
  
Lance looked everywhere, but at Coran, he was simply overwhelmed by the sheer wealth around him. "Um...Lance. I don't know about that Master stuff." He managed to keep a tremor out of his voice and at least sound calm. Adam was impressed. There was more to this kid than met the eye.  
  
"Very well, Master Lance," Coran smiled good naturedly.  
  
Lance looked up surprised, was the rich guy making a joke?  
  
"Welcome, Master Lance, I have been expecting you. I am Coran." He bowed a little at the waist and Lance tried to follow suit, a little sloppy, but not bad.  
  
"Coran, could you look him over a little. He refused medical treatment, but I'm not sure it was the best idea." Adam looked over to Lance who immediately began to protest.  
  
"I'm fine. I don't need anything." He put his hands up and backed up.  
  
"Oh, no worries young sir. I have a very simple scanner. The latest in medical technology. We'll have you checked out in a matter of seconds. And if I may suggest sir, could I offer a change of clothes for the meal. Yours seem to have been somewhat damaged." Lance looked down at his shirt blushing. He hadn't realized how much of a mess he looked. His clothes weren't fancy, but Lisa kept them clean and Veronica insisted they looked presentable when the left the house.  
  
"I'm sorry. I hope I didn't mess up your car." Lance turned to Adam with a touch of shame in his eyes. He looked so much younger like this than the cocky brat that had been sitting in interrogation driving Keith nuts.  
  
"Nothing is messed. It's not like you asked Sendak to knock you around, or did you?" Adam asked slyly.  
  
"I..no." Lance clammed up and was suddenly wary again.  
  
"Then go on, let Coran help you. What's on the menu tonight?" Adam asked, trying for a safe topic.  
  
"We will be serving turkey Manhattan, green beans, Brussel sprouts, and peanut butter cookies. Mistress Pidge is joining us." Adam nodded. In Pidge's opinion no meal was complete without peanut butter cookies.  
  
Lance had calmed down while they talked. He figured it wouldn't hurt to get a change of clothes. It would save Veronica from having to buy them for him. These jeans were pretty much shot.  
  
"Is Allura here?" Adam asked.  
  
"In the pool, sir, she is expecting you." Adam rolled through into the house and Coran turned to Lance. "This way, young sir. To the scanner first and then off to wardrobe. I have something perfect in mind for you. I'm thinking something dark blue, maybe silk."  
  
Lance smiled, Coran was odd, but not creepy. He seemed genuinely happy to be helping. He followed him into the castle still having trouble believing any of this was actually happening.

  
***  
  


The nightmares always started the same. He was in the lab. Matt was working at a machine of some kind. He had made a discovery about the drug they were working on, but Shiro could never remember what it was. He had called himself and Commander Holt to meet him. It was dark, after hours. Sam was smiling and patting Matt on the back. Then there was smoke, alarms, gun shots, and hands so many hands grabbing him and the Holts. After that everything came in flashes.  
  
Standing in his boxers while someone laughed and hosed him down. Strapped to a table while a woman in white injected something into his arm. Her teeth were filed down to points like an animal and she would laugh this horrible crazy sound. Sometimes she would cut him for no reason that he could tell. Pain, deep bone chilling pain when his arm was removed. Horror of looking at the metal prosthetic that had replaced it. Advanced tech of some kind it moved with his thoughts, but it wasn't his, he hadn't wanted it. Then there were the fights. Some kind of arena, flashes of faces, fists, weapons, blood - fighting to the death, watching the light go out in someone else's eyes. Matt had been there once, but then he was gone, and Sam he hadn't seen since they were taken, both of them just gone.  
  
Then there was the image of the face he wanted to find, the one that helped him. Dark skin, narrowed eyes, tall, mohawk, a tattoo on one side of his head. He'd not given him the injections he was supposed to and Shiro's mind had started to clear. He had left the door open one day. He was the reason Shiro got out. Then there was the White Lion, standing on a rooftop, watching him, gesturing to him, letting him know which way to go. The White body armor with soft teal lighting around the edges made him look about seven feet tall, but Shiro couldn't tell how much was him and how much was tech. The hand pieces ended in claws. The helmet had cat ears and a long feline face designed into the front complete with glowing yellow eyes. It was sleek looking, seemed to allow the occupant to move freely. He jumped with building to building with no apparent problems whatsoever, so the tech must allow for faster, stronger movement.  
  
In real life he'd made it to a hospital. In his dreams the lion led him to a crumpled car, he pointed and Shiro walked up slowly. He knew what he would find. Adam's body, blood dripping from his mouth, glasses broken and askew on his face, the car crumpled around him and crushing him. He would open his eyes and in a broken voice say "it's all your fault." Only tonight it wasn't Adam in the car it was Keith. And when he saw the familiar haircut he screamed.  
  
"Shiro!" Keith was shaking him awake. "Shiro!"  
  
Shiro sat straight up, knocking Keith off of the bed, panting in terror, trying to catch his breath, make his heart not beat out of his chest.  
  
"Shiro?" Keith picked himself up off the floor. He rubbed the back of his head where it had whacked the wall, but otherwise he was fine. "Shiro?" He reached out carefully and put a hand on his brother's shoulder.  
  
"Keith?" Shiro blinked owlishly at him, regret and shame making him blush. His breath hitched in not a sob and he grabbed his brother in a hug. The nightmare vision of Keith's broken body making him need to assure himself his brother was alive and okay.  
  
Keith allowed himself to be held. He knew Shiro still had nightmares, but this is the first one that had woken him up in a long time and the first one where Shiro reacted like this. He wasn't comfortable, but he'd learned to live with Shiro's hugs. He'd learned they meant comfort and expressed his brother's love for him easier than words. Keith awkwardly patted Shiro's back. Hugs had been a part of his life when he was young. Shiro's parents had tried to bring them back to him when they adopted him, but then they were gone too. Hugs were bittersweet and sometimes just made him afraid that they would be taken away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta admit kinda picturing Black Panther looking armor, only bigger, more mech and white, still with the sleek cat look though :)


	4. Chapter 4

Coran led Lance through the polished marble halls of the main house. They were crazy beautiful, there were tapestries hanging on the walls. They had pastoral scenes, fields of flowers, oceanside cliffs, majestic palm trees swaying with a sunset behind them; but they didn't look like anything Lance had seen in Miami. There were some with quaint village settings, like a flower shop and a potter and a bakery lining a street with people milling about.

"Coran, where are these from?" Lance couldn't help but be a little transfixed. It looked like the perfect life - Like he could see the kids running down the street and his siblings setting up a shop and his parents waiting at home for him.

"Oh, those depict Altea." Coran spoke somberly.

"Altea as in Allura's last name?" Okay, weird rich people thing maybe, some kind of fantasy world?

"Well, yes, it is the name she has taken now. This property, the building you are in is an embassy of Altea. Allura changed her name to honor our home." Coran absently reached out a hand and smoothed one of the tapestries.

"I've never even heard of it?" Lance wondered, his education kind of sucked and he hadn't been in any sort of school since he got to the US.

"I'm not surprised. It was not a large country. Just a small island in the Caribbean and not much of a tourist spot. Our biggest export was Juniberry tea." Coran's moustache gave half an attempt at a smile and then seemed to deflate.

Lance might not be a genius, but it wasn't hard to read the sadness in the old man's tone. "Was?"

"I'm sorry, young sir, what?" Coran turned to him.

"You said it was, not it is?" Lance looked back to the pictures wondering why.

"Ah, well, Altea is gone. It was destroyed nearly ten years ago," Coran cleared his throat and wiped his eyes. "Allura and I were here. She was attending a school and I was sent to watch out for her."

Lance's mouth hung open for a long moment and then snapped shut suddenly. "I am sorry. How can a whole country just be gone?"

"It was a tsunami, a tidal wave, no one survived." Coran looked back at the picture of the market, his breath hitched. "All gone in a flash."

Lance wasn't sure what to do. He had brought this on and he really didn't know the old guy, but he was pretty choked up and Lance figured he had a pretty good reason.

"That's horrible." He reached his hand out and put it on Coran's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. It really looked like it was a good place." Lance was regretting the earlier images of his family in this place as they were now replaced by images of them being swept away into dark water and silence.

Coran looked into his eyes for a moment, seemingly searching for something, and smiled and nodded like he'd found it. "Yes, young sir, it truly was a good place. Allura and I will carry on their memories and our people's ways, that is why we both changed our names to take on Altea as a surname. Our world will not be forgotten."

"That's…wow…" Lance shook his head, he really didn't have words to go with that.

Coran smiled and put his hand on Lance's arm, "This way."

They left the marble corridors and grand halls and entered a more modern portion of the building. The walls were gray and the floor tiled black. There were white light fixtures and a teal rope lighting along the floor. It looked like an office building, with just a weird color scheme.

"This is where our office's are and behind here is the medical and research wings." Coran pointed to an office with "A. West" on a plaque outside. There were a lot of offices, but most of them were empty. Lance figured they'd not recovered from losing like their whole country. They went around a couple of corners and through a pair of stainless steel sliding doors.

This side of the doors was all tile and white, with touches of stainless steel here and there. It looked like a medical place, clean to the point of sterile. Coran led him past empty rooms and through what looked like an emergency room into what would have seemed like a typical exam room if it wasn't for the one wall that was metal and had what looked like a glass shower booth in the middle of it.

"This is our scanner." Coran slide a large upside down metal horseshoe on wheels looking thing out of a notch in the wall. "If you would lay on the bed here, I will just roll this over you. It's much better than being poked and prodded by a doctor." Coran gave the bed a tentative pat.

Lance sat down and began leaning back, "Is this safe?"

"Completely, I have run it over at least three people with no worries." Coran stated.

"What? Three? That doesn't seem like you've done much testing." Lance started to sit back up again worried. "I mean is there radiation, am I going to glow in the dark?"

Coran chuckled, "Sorry, young sir, not everyone appreciates my humor." He gave Lance a reassuring smile. "This is completely safe and has been used for years. You will still have to use a flashlight in the dark." At Lance's confused look he added, "You will not glow."

Lance chuckled warily and leaned back. "Does it hurt?"

"No." Coran patted his shoulder. He set the device at the head of the bed and pushed a button. It moved down the bed and then back up, Lance cringed as it moved over him, but he didn't feel a thing.

"Did it work?" Lance sat up. Coran was looking a hologram of what must be Lance's body. He touched it with his hand and was able to move it and zoom in.

"Yes, it worked. It doesn't appear as though you have broken your nose, though there is a hairline crack in the socket below your right eye. It will take some time for the swelling and bruising to go down naturally and it will be quite tender. And it seems you have bruised at least three ribs. That along with the impressive bruising and swelling around your neck and some scraps and bruises elsewhere seem to be the extent of your injuries. Were you in a fight?" Coran pressed his hands together, like he was considering something.

"Well, not much of one. Fight kind of implies I got to hit the other guy back and it was pretty much just me getting kicked around." Lance looked anywhere, but at Coran, it was embarrassing even if Sendak was like two of him put together.

Coran made an affirmative sound in his throat and reached into a cabinet, pulling down a jar. "This is a salve that will help with the bruising and swelling. You should put it on before sleep and in the morning. And," he grabbed a pill bottle from a shelf, "these are the equivalent of a strong aspirin, take one for pain and then one every six hours as needed." He scribbled a note with the instructions on it.

"Are you a doctor?" Lance asked shocked. He'd kind of thought he was the butler.

"I am whatever Altea needs. I was trained as a field medic in our military, so I am qualified for running the scanner and handing out aspirins." Coran offered by way of explanation.

***

Sendak walked into the darkened conference room. The long mahogany table was empty surrounded by tall leather backed chairs, the emblem in the middle of the table and the words "Victory or Death" carved into the wood were lit by purple track lighting above it. Most of the Galra members didn't even know this place existed, only the highest level Generals and their lieutenants were even allowed at this warehouse, let alone five levels down in the conference room. A bearded man in a suit stood near the head of the table, his back turned to Sendak.

"Prorok." Sendak stated by way of greeting. The older man turned frowning at Sendak.

"About time, what happened to your arm?" Sendak had one arm in a sling resting inside his suit. He was wearing his usual garish purple suit. Prorok thought he looked like a reject from a bad 70's movie. He was not found of the overly aggressive perpetually drunk general, but Zarkon favored him and so he tolerated his presence.

"The White Lion." Sendak spat. "Showed up at the latest drop and took the package."

"Damn." Prorok showed the appropriate amount of sympathy and concern over the loss, but he believed if Sendak wasn't so sloppy it wouldn't have happened. "That's the third package this week. Zarkon will be disappointed." Prorok looked up at the framed portrait hanging on the wall over the head of the table. A man with a roman nose, square jaw, piercing dark eyes and slicked back black hair looked down at them with disdain.

"I know." Sendak flexed his mechanical arm. "If he hadn't blindsided me…," he growled deep in his throat. "I'd love a shot at him when I know he's coming."

Prorok laughed at him, "that's kind of the point isn't it. I don't think he's going to call ahead."

Sendak glared at the older man. He was too powerful to just punch, but he couldn't help fantasizing about how it would feel to wipe that smile off his face with his fist.

A shorter balding man wearing a white button up shirt and purple bow tie, stepped through a door into the conference room, "Sendak. Prorok. He is ready for you."

"What are you doing here, Janka?" Sendak snarled at the man who cowered back, but kept a sneer on his face.

"When the supply lines are interrupted it impacts GALRA works world wide. I have to deal with the fall out. Maybe if someone would manage to deliver the needed material, I wouldn't…" He cut off with a strangled yelp as Sendak reached out to grab him.

The sound of hollow laughter echoed out into the conference room, "Sendak, don't kill him, I need him to do the books."

Sendak snarled once more at Janka and slipped into the office with Prorok close behind him. Janka stuck his tongue out at the closed door and proceeded out of the conference room and back up the elevator. In the warehouse surrounded by crates, marked with shipping addresses from all over the world, he pulled out his phone.

"Ranveig? Yeah, the shipment didn't make it through. I know. I understand. You know how she is Ranveig! I don't want to be in the same state with her let alone the same room. Right. Right. No, now Ranveig threatening me doesn't change the situation. Of course I'm more afraid of her, she's insane! Fine. I'll let her know." Janka hung up the phone and shuddered. Apparently he had another stop to make while he was in town and he was not looking forward to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Coran is a bit OOC here, he's supposed to be. He's "acting normal". Lance is a stranger right now, not part of his group...yet.
> 
> Also had to intro some baddies.
> 
> This is like an origin story so much background to try to fit to make the story make sense. I think there will have to be a sequel to this one just so I can jump in without having to explain everything :)


	5. Chapter 5

"Uh, Coran?" Lance stepped out of the dressing room wearing white pants and a blue shirt that only buttoned half-way up and a large gold chain.

"Yes, young master?" Coran smiled twirling his mustache and sorting through stacks of dark grey slacks for Lance's size.

"I'm not sure this is me? What kind of dinner is this?" Lance held up the chain eyeing it curiously. He felt like he was in a costume for an 70's beach party.

"Oh, well, maybe that's more for the nightlife." Coran grinned and threw Lance the slacks he had just found.

Lance rolled his eyes, he wondered when the last time was that the old guy had enjoyed "the nightlife". He tried on the grey slacks with a silk button down dark blue shirt. It was simple enough that he was comfortable and he didn't feel like an idiot.

"That's very nice. I have a pair of denim pants and a couple of shirts for you as well, so you have a change." Coran handed him a stack of clothes. Two dark wash pairs of jeans and two t-shirts, one blue and one red.

"Thanks, you don't have to do that." Lance blushed, he wasn't used to having so much.

"Nonsense. You'll be here for awhile if your ankle decoration has any meaning." Coran glanced significantly at the ankle alarm. "You will need clothes to wear. Here are some underthings." Coran stacked some boxers on the top on the clothes Lance was already holding and if Lance wasn't blushing before he sure was now. "Let's see, what size shoe? 11?"

"13, my sister says I have flippers for feet." He looked down as his feet. His current tennis shoes didn't exactly match the slacks and his little toe was poking out of the left one.

"Alright then," Coran pulled down a pair of black loafers and some socks and added them to the stack. "And for something more casual." Coran reached into another bin and pulled out a couple pairs of brightly colored shorts in blues and greens and a couple of matching muscle shirts. "In case you wanted to make use of the grounds," he explained.

Lance was completely overwhelmed. They were just handing him clothes and shoes like it was nothing. He didn't get clothes unless the ones he had were worn through or so small he couldn't get them on anymore. He just kind of stood there with his mouth open. He was a criminal staying in a mansion, being deported, separated from his family, almost killed…what was he again.

"Lance? Lance?" Coran tapped his arm and Lance realized he'd called his name a few times. He also realized there were tears running down his face. "Are you okay?"

"It's…um…just all a bit much. I just don't think I've caught up with what's going on?" Lance couldn't even wipe his face because his hands were full and then to his utter embarrassment Coran pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed them for him.

"Well, now, I could see that, I suppose. For tonight, you'll wear something nice, have a meal with us, and we'll find you a place to sleep for the night. Tomorrow will bring new opportunities." Coran offered. He took the clothes from Lance and put them into three large bags, throwing in a new pair of beach shoes and tennis shoes in his size.

Lance just numbly followed Coran out of the gym sized closet they had been in. Coran said that they used to keep wardrobe for the staff and had since been donating clothes to local charities, but still handled a lot of in and out. Coran led him out of the office areas of the castle and back into the main hall. From the marble halls they took an elevator up three floors and exited into a carpeted hall that looked like a hotel. The doors were just missing their numbers.

"Ah, here we are." Coran pulled a card from his pocket and swiped it on a lock and then handed it to Lance as he opened the door. "This is your key."

Lance was a little surprised to get a key, he had kind of expected to be locked in. After all he was in their custody.

"Okay." As he walked into the room Lance's eyes would have fallen out of his head if possible. The room was splendid. There was a king size bed in the far corner, two navy blue sitting chairs with a table between them in front of a floor to ceiling window, black leather couch with a coffee table and 60 inch TV were in the corner opposite the bed. There was a door through which Lance caught a glimpse of a whirlpool tub and marble bathroom. "Oh, wow." He walked in and ran his hands over the ocean blue cushioned bedspread. He imagined himself letting out a whoop he jumping up onto the bed and up and down a few times. The more he stayed here the guiltier he felt. He had to get back to his family. He couldn't let all of this stop him. He turned to find Coran putting the bags down and smiling at him. The old man was making it harder for him to think about betraying these people who had taken him in, but did he really have an option? If he disappeared his family would be in danger. Sendak might even take it out on them for their little skirmish this afternoon. He had to get back to them. He couldn't just go missing like his parents did, like Hunk's parents, and all those other kids his sister kept taking in. He couldn't put them through that again. He also couldn't lead the police straight to them with this tracking device he was wearing.

"You have some time to get cleaned up. Dinner is in an hour, someone will be by to show you the way to the dining room. If you need anything," Coran gestured to a box on the wall, "this is the house intercom. If you push 3, it will go to my phone." Coran held up a small silver square.

"That's a phone?" Lance had never seen a phone like that.

"Well, it's a prototype." He laughed a little and then turned a suddenly serious face Lance's direction. "Young sir, I do not know what circumstances exactly bring you to us, but please give us a chance. At least hear Adam out this evening."

Lance cringed, had he been that obvious about trying to leave. The old guy was still looking at him waiting. He couldn't help but meet his eyes. There was complete sincerity there. He really did want to help. Maybe they could give him another option.

"I promise to give Adam a chance to have his say." Lance said slowly and he meant it. Something needed to change. He wasn't sure if the answers were here or not, but he was willing to wait a little longer to find out.

****

"Allura?" Adam rolled his chair out to the deck. She was swimming laps, but stopped when she heard him. She stepped out of the pool wearing a white one piece with a pink stripe from shoulder to hip. It was lovely against her tanned skin and Adam once again marveled at how exquisitely beautiful she really was. "You are looking lovely."

"Thank you, Adam." She smiled toweling off and grabbing a pink cover up to tie around her waist. "You are looking very well also. I believe I complimented that this suit really does bring out your eyes. Did you see him?" She looked at him significantly.

"Yes, but that isn't," he shook his head, he knew better than to get into that with Allura. He was well aware of her opinion on his break up with Shiro. "I brought the boy. It's worse than I thought, he's here illegally. They will want to deport him."

Allura sighed. There were things about this world that seemed so backwards to her. She sat down in one of the pool chairs so she wasn't standing over Adam. He didn't like that and she knew it.

"I think he can help us though. He was carrying some of the material. Some kind of a delivery boy. I had to stop Sendak though, I think he would have broken the boy's neck. He really is a piece of work." Adam nearly growled remembering the larger man's treatment of Lance.

"And the material?"

"With Pidge." Adam answered. "I took it to her before going down to the station. I think it's more of the manufactured Quint. I haven't caught them trying to get anything from the source lately. I think we have that pretty much shut down. I just wish we knew how they were making this stuff." Adam frowned and rubbed the back of his neck.

"As do I and what they plan to do with it." Allura stared into the water. "There was only a limited amount to begin with. It's why things were to be the way they were. If the Galra have come up with a way to manufacture Quint on any sort of large scale there will be nothing to stop them. We simply don't have the numbers and our supply is as I said limited."

"If anyone can figure it out it will be Pidge and Coran. You know those two work great together." Adam tried to be reassuring and reached out his hand to lay on her arm. "We are going to find out how they are doing it and shut them down."

"So, our guest? How is he handling this?"

"I'm pretty sure he is planning to escape the minute I turn around. Probably thinks it won't be hard to get away from the guy in the wheelchair." Adam smirked.

"Well, isn't he in for a surprise," Allura laughed. She remembered a time when they couldn't laugh about Adam's condition, but he had adapted so quickly and was so strong to battle through the pain and regain nearly everything he had lost. "How was Shiro?"

"He was fine. I saw Keith, too." The sadness in his eyes could not be hidden. "I am pretty sure he still hates me."

"I doubt that Adam, but as you have told me he is very protective of his brother and he has had a difficult life." Allura frowned thinking that difficult lives seemed to be the normal for people trying to do the right thing.

"I know. I'm worried, though, he is so hard to deter when he gets his mind set on something and with him going after the Galra…he and Shiro are going to end up right in their cross hairs…again." Adam whispered the last part.

"Then we will just have to make sure that doesn't happen, right?" Allura gave him a brave smile. "Now, I've an idea about the immigration problem, I need a lawyers opinion on it though. Would you meet me in the den in a few moments, I just need to change for dinner. I think we'll have time to got over it and be able to present the young man with some options later." Allura stood and walked into the house.

Adam looked out across the grounds, he never would have guessed when Shiro disappeared two years ago that he would end up here. He was willing to do anything to save his beloved and now they couldn't even be in a room together without it being weird, but he was willing to do anything for Shiro, even give him up. His life was made up of so many secrets now. He wouldn't even know where to begin to unravel it for Shiro. What did he start with, oh hey I'm a super hero or did you know there were really aliens on the earth?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so little begging :), feedback on this? Good, bad, ugly, able to follow my insanity? Now I know why people don't like doing origin story movies, I want to intro everyone's role in the AU and move the story and explain and not lose the plot...this is more challenging than I thought it would be

Lance was jumping on the bed when someone knocked at his door, of course he fell off. He landed with a thump and a voice echoed from the other side of the door.

"Hey, you okay in there?"

"Yeah, yep, coming." Lance slipped on the black shoes and smoothed the wrinkles out of the pants. He should still look okay for dinner he thought. He opened the door and was surprised to see a young girl looked at him suspiciously.

"What was that noise?" She narrowed her eyes behind large, round, wire-rimmed glasses. Her hands were on her hips. She was wearing a long green sleeveless tunic and black leggings with a pair of black flats. Her hair was auburn and cut short so that the waves made it stand out every which way in a sort of haphazard wreath around her head.

"I, um, tripped?" Lance flashed her his best smile in the hopes of winning her over.

She glared at him and pushed past him into the room and then suddenly she was laughing.

"What?" Lance was going to get whiplash from that mood swing.

"I thought you were up to something and you were just jumping on the bed." She giggled and turned back to him. She had a really nice smile. "I'm Pidge." She held out a hand for him to shake, so he did. She had a very firm grip.

"How did you know?" Lance looked bewildered.

"It's obvious from the way the bed is rumpled and the one blanket is pulled down, looks like you caught a foot in there and fell. Are you okay?" She patted him on the shoulder. "Yeesh, how old are you? Jumping on the bed…" she shook her head in amusement.

"Well, seventeen and you are not too old to jump on the bed until you're so old you have to worry about breaking a hip." Lance folded his arms and looked down at her.

She giggled at him. "Okay, there mister seventeen."

"How old are you?" He asked definitely.

"Fifteen, but I'm also a complete genius and I could probably kick your butt, so don't go acting superior cause you're a couple of years older." She folded her own arms and rose to his challenge.

"Hmm…kick my butt huh?" He laughed good naturedly. "I've decided I like you. We can be friends." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Now, you're here to take me to food, right?"

Pidge looked shocked at his arm and then perplexed back up at him. That was not the usual reaction she got to meeting new people. She found herself smiling back, almost against her will.

"Yeah, food. I had to dress up because we had "guests"," she threw her hands up in air quotes, "I'll have you know I don't wear crap like this for just anyone, but I was promised a reward."

"I heard something about peanut butter cookies?" Lance offered remembering the earlier conversation.

Pidge smiled evilly, "and don't you take more than two, the rest are mine."

"Two? I can eat more cookies than that!" Lance playfully acted affronted.

"Hey, I was being nice, most people are only allowed one, I was just letting you have two since you are new, take it or leave it."

They walked down the hall together laughing. She told Lance she worked for Allura doing research and science stuff. She used bigger words, but that was the general idea. She really was a genius apparently. She had been working here for about two years. Her mom also worked here as the botanist. Apparently she designed and maintained all of the landscaping and did other science stuff too, again bigger words but really Lance was doing well just to keep up with this much. Pidge talked really fast.

When they arrived in the dining room the table was already set and Coran and another older woman were in the room already.

"Ah, young sir, I see Mistress Pidge has delivered you as promised."

"I swear. Mistress? Coran, stop watching those old movies." Pidge rolled her eyes and moved to give the older woman a hug. Lance guessed it must be her mother.

"You look nice dear." the woman answered patting down some of the wilder parts of Pidge's hair.

"Don't get used to it." Pidge gave her a smirk.

"Don't be flip, Katie. Introduce me to our guest."

"Lance, this is Colleen, my mom. Mom this is Lance, our guest." Pidge had walked her mom over to Lance and made the intro. "He is seventeen and thinks its still okay to jump on beds."

"Pidge!" Lance went red all the way to his hairline.

Pidge giggled evilly, "Well it's always nice to say something you know about someone when you introduce them and what else do I know?"

"Katie." Colleen gave her a disapproving look and she stopped laughing. Colleen turned back to Lance and gave him a warm smile, "It is nice to meet you, Lance." She shook his hand lightly.

"Well, now that we've all met, as soon as Adam and Allura arrive we can be seated for the meal." Coran handed Lance a glass of what looked like lemonade. "They can get involved in their discussions though, so perhaps a drink? This is a concoction from Altea called Nunvil."

Lance had the glass up to his mouth before he saw the startled look in Pidge's eyes and her arms waving. As soon as the liquid hit his mouth he knew why. He spit it back into the cup and gave Coran a look of complete betrayal. "It tastes like hotdog water and feet!"

Pidge doubled over laughing, "I told you, Coran, stop giving that stuff to people. It's just nasty."

Coran sighed dramatically, "Someday I will find another with taste buds refined enough to appreciate the delight that is nunvil." He took Lance's glass and set it over on a side table to be cleared away later.

Lance wished he could get his tongue out of his mouth and wash it. Colleen kindly handed him a glass of water which helped a little with the aftertaste.

When Allura entered the room Lance was afraid he was going to have a full blown fanboy moment. So a bit of truth, his claimed little sister was not the only one in the house listening to Allura's music. She was just so all around awesome. She was even more beautiful than he imagined. It was like angels started singing and sparkling lights danced around her when he saw her. She walked up to him and her lips moved and sound come out, but he was incapable of speech, movement, comprehension…

"Are you okay?" he finally heard her ask with concern.

He blinked his eyes and opened and closed his mouth, but no sound came out. Pidge smacked him in the back of the head. He shook his head and turned to glare at the little gremlin who was barely containing her laughter.

"I'm sorry, I guess it's just been a long day." Lance blushed and ran his hand through his hair when he turned back to Allura.

"I understand, are you okay? Did Coran check your injury?" Her eyes roamed the bruises on his face.

"Oh, yeah, he gave me some stuff to help. Thanks, by the way, for you know, giving me all this stuff and letting me stay here. I really appreciate it." He needed to tell her that, even though he was still planning on leaving, he wanted her to know he really did care.

"Well, you are welcome. Please, let's enjoy the meal."

They all sat and a older woman brought the food out. She was dressed in a uniform and explained the food like they were at a restaurant. Lance was a bit confused about all of the extra silverware and things in front of him, but Pidge nudged him and pointedly gestured to the right fork when the salad was served and after that he just followed her lead. He ate so much bread and salad he hardly felt like eating the main course, but it was so good too. He was stuffed by the time he finished and when the cookies came out he only took one, though Pidge offered him another. He really couldn't have stuffed it in.

Adam and Allura and Colleen dominated the conversation during the meal. The weather, politics, stock market, business, a new flower Colleen was cultivating, a new case Adam had taken, it seemed comfortable and family like. Lance felt more at ease than he had all day.

After the table was cleared by the older woman, Nan, Allura had called her. They moved to another room with chairs in it and Coran got the nunvil out again. Lance declined, mostly politely, though the green look on his face may not have been that subtle. After awhile Pidge and Colleen left for their rooms.

"Lance, I think it's time you met with your benefactor." Allura smiled. "He would like to meet you outside in the garden. I will show you the way."

"Okay." Lance tried not to tense up, but this was it. This was where he find out the truth behind this fairy tale he'd been in for the last several hours. It was dark when they stepped outside. She led him to a small gazebo.

"If you will just wait here?" Allura turned to go.

"Wait, you aren't staying?" Not that he was afraid or anything, but how much did he really know about any of these people, maybe she's feeding him to a crocodile.

"Lance, he won't hurt you." She smiled reading his fear. According to the magazines she was only 21, but she seemed so much older.

***

Lance sat and waited in the dark gazebo. The warm humid air blew through his hair. It was longer on the top and shaved close at the back and on the sides. Veronica said it was an easy hair cut, hard for her to mess up. He didn't mind, he thought he pulled it off okay. He was looking up into the sky when a movement to the left caught his eye and he almost fell off the bench when the White Lion landed beside him.

He was clearly wearing a suit. It made it hard to tell how big he was, the suit made him look like seven feet tall. The boots and legs in particular had a lot of mech on the outside. The body was armored. The arms had extra width on the forearms maybe hiding weaponry? It was all shining white with teal glowing from the electrical bits. The helmet had cat ears slicked back on the side and was designed to look like a lion's face.

"Oh." Lance found himself frozen. This wasn't what he expected. He wasn't sure what he thought, but this wasn't it. There should have been a rich old guy or slick businessman or politician, not a freaking comic book guy.

"Hello," the voice was electronically disguised, deep, he sounded like James Earl Jones.

"Seriously, did you gut the voice from the Lion King?" Lance sometimes found grasping onto the bizarre made him feel better about his life.

"You have been running supplies for the Galra." It was a statement not a question. No acquisitions, just a fact.

"Yes."

"It's not the sort of job with a long term benefit. You're going to end up dead." He stated it again. It wasn't a question.

"I know." And the truth was he did. This gig was to get his family out of debt and he had only hoped to make it long enough to see that day. He really didn't have any illusions about what happened to the delivery boys that didn't return. There was a reason it paid what it did.

The lion seemed stumped for a moment he turned to look up at the sky, "Then why?"

"My reasons are mine. You haven't told me yet what you want with me." Lance owed this guy for saving him from Sendak, but he didn't owe him his family.

"I need your help. The Galra are up to something new. I need someone on the inside."

"I'm not on the inside. I was barely on the outside before, they won't touch me with a ten foot pole now. They know I should be deported. They know every freaking thing." Lance threw his hands up, who did this guy think Lance was?

"I know. I can arrange to make it look good. You will get deported, and then you will come back."

"What?!" Lance looked at the guy like he was smoking crack, how was that a good plan?

"The plan is to set up a court trial, a ruse to fight your deportation. I know a senator that his been pushing immigration reform, he can be used to front the fight. It will look like you are just a political pawn. Senator Iverson isn't known for his friendly demeanor, but he will fight and this is just his kind of cause. The trial should last about six months and then you will lose and be deported."  
"Wait, why am I going to lose?" Lance asked offended.

"Because the Galra own politicians on levels I can't touch, they control more than you know. If immigration reform goes through, they lose money, don't they?"

Lance didn't answer, but nodded.

"Once you are back in Cuba, you will make connections with the Galra again and get sent back here. You will work your way into the organization again, in attempt to pay your new, no doubt larger, debt." He explained it all like it wasn't insane, stupid, crazy.

"I can't do that. It's insane. I am not some kind of ninja spy. They will just kill me and how am I going to convince them to bring me back? The police will already know me, why would they risk it." Lance started pacing.

"Because we are going to give them a reason to want you. You are going to cause a little havoc when you are in Cuba, rob a few places to gather the money you need to get back."

"You want me to rob people." Lance just turned and stared at him. "Are you kidding me? I thought you were a good guy."

"The people you will rob aren't good guys and this is about the greater good. The Galra are responsible for atrocities you can only imagine. They must be stopped." The lion slammed his palm down and the gazebo shook.

"Look I don't know you. I don't know why you think I can do the things you say." Lance shook his head. "I can't and I can't put the people I care about at risk."

"I will train you. And I know about your family. I will see to it that your brothers and sisters are protected and the kids they have taken in."

Lance could only stare, apparently this wasn't a whim, the guy knew way too much about him.

"Lance, the Galra are responsible for the people who have been disappearing. Your parents, Hunks parents, all of the others. I don't know where they are or why they are being taken, but I am sure it is the Galra doing it."

"What?!" Lance clenched his fists. He suspected, they had all suspected, but to have it confirmed. Anger burned in his throat and he felt like breaking something.

There is so much more going on than you know. I need your help. I can't get in myself. Are you willing? Can you commit to this?" The lion held out his hand as if to shake.

Lance held back, "why should I trust a man in a mask? How do I know this isn't a trick?"

The lion signed and pushed a button at the side of his helmet. It retracted from around his head and into the collar of the suit.  
Lance stared at Adam. He really wasn't sure what to say.

"I'm not a man in a mask now and I've trusted you with my secret. Are you ready to trust me? Work with me, we will beat them." Adam sounded so confident and assured. Lance's heart was pounding out of his chest. He was terrified, but at the same time excited. He never thought his life would mean anything to anyone other than his family and here was an opportunity to be more, do more, stop the Galra. He had to take it. He reached out and shook Adam's hand. He really hoped he wasn't going to regret this.


	7. Chapter 7

His long white hair blew in the breeze from the beach as stood on the balcony of the apartment. His dark tan skin almost glowed and his clothes were custom made, a combination of loose and fitted to highlight his perfect physique. He looked for all the world like some hero out of a romance novel, but Janka knew better.

"Lotor, I just need you to let her knew we need another shipment and find out when it will be available." Janka asked nervously.

Lotor spun flipping his hair, his mouth was pulled into a smirk, his eyes narrowed. "Oh poor, Janka, you lost something of Mother's didn't you?"

"I didn't lose it. Sendak did!" Janka threw his hands up and paced. He hated it when the spoiled brat teased him. "Lotor, please, you can tell her. She won't kill you."

"I think you overestimate her maternal instinct." Lotor frowned, his voice icy. "Besides, Janka, I've already had crazy time with Mom this week. You'll have to let her know yourself. Zethrid, can you show Janka out, he was just leaving."

Zethrid, stepped away from the wall where she had been leaning. She was a bodybuilder, dark skin, short purple pixie hair cut and wearing a pair of black leather pants and a deep purple tank top. She flexed as she walked toward Janka smiling, "Can I throw him out?"

"Now, Zethrid, just because you can pick him up and throw him through the door, doesn't mean you should." The amusement in his voice was plain. "I just had the door repaired from the last time." Janka backed away from her toward the door. "Oh and Janka, do watch out, she's been a little obsessed with amputation lately." Lotor laughed openly as the sniveling man whimpered and backpedaled out of the door.

Zethrid joined Lotor, a brilliant smile on her face. "I love it when you do that."

"It does bring a brightness to the day, does it not?" Lotor gave Zethrid an appraising look, "You are looking nice tonight, Ezor on her way?"

Zethrid was stumbling over her words when the door opened. Acxa stepped through. She wore a black pants suit and dark sunglasses, her dark hair was cropped above her shoulders, and her blue eyes were sparkling with anger. She was talking to someone on the phone in her ear. "Yes, make sure he exits the gate. He's a weasel, you don't survive to his level in the Galra organization by being completely weak." She turned and nodded to Lotor as she touched the ear piece. "He's out. Narti will meet us at the gate."

"Acxa, Janka is not a threat to us." Lotor dismissed her words.

"Everyone is a threat." Axca was saying as Ezor stepped in.

"Well, I am in this outfit for sure!" Ezor swirled. The hot pink mini dress barely covered her ass and her cleavage bounced as she giggled. Her long blond hair was pulled into a high pony tail and she had covered herself in glitter. Zethrid was drooling.

Lotor sneered, "Was it dress like a whore night, Ezor?"

"Oh, Lotor, don't be jealous," she blew him a kiss, "you're pretty too!" She laughed. "Are we ready to hit some clubs? Our Prince here has a reputation to maintain as a pampered party boy, spoiled rich kid, wild child, and all around playboy."

Lotor laughed, "So I do, shall we ladies?" He offered his arms and Ezor and Acxa took one each Xethrid walked next to Ezor. "Miami Beach is waiting on the real party to begin."

***

The next morning, Keith sat cross legged on the couch in a black t-shirt and a pair of black boxer briefs. Across from him he'd set up the case boards he had constructed after Shiro's nightmare had left him unable to sleep.

At the top of one board was Zarkon. The head of Galra, a seemingly legitimate multibillionaire with business and political ties across the globe. He was rarely seen in public. Next to him was his companion and all around creepy lady, Haggar. He had very little information on her. He didn't even have a picture. All he knew was that anyone whom he'd gotten to talk had been absolutely terrified of her and refused to speak about her at all. Then to the side was the son, Lotor, he had plenty of pictures of him. He was on the cover of scandal magazines in store checkouts all over town. He traveled, partied, and didn't seem to have anything to do with the business other than spending the money. He was generally in the company of four women, Ezor, Zethrid, Acxa, and Narti.

Next were the generals, he knew there were more, but he had identified two operating primarily out of the Miami area - Sendak and Prorok. Sendak was involved in human trafficking, drugs, prostitution, illegal immigration, sweat shops, car theft, and probably more. He was a thug. Keith knew for sure that he ran at least one gang, his lieutenant Haxus handled most of the day to day dirty work and had a record for arson, bombing, and murder. Keith suspected he indirectly handled more. He had always thought Sendak was behind the gang that had taken Shiro.

Prorok was cleaner, harder to pin, like an old school mafia boss. He was a businessman with a reputation for harsh deals. He liked to buy out his competition and close them down. He didn't care who he hurt to make money. It was likely there was a lot more strong arm tactics going on. No lawsuit brought against him went to court. No charges stuck, witness tended to back out or turn up dead. He was a lot more polished than Sendak, controlled, less likely to make a mistake. Ylvik was his second.

He had a variety of warehouses and businesses flagged, but he couldn't connect them all. He just had clues bits and pieces that said they were part of the Galra organization.

Then on a second board were the pictures of the missing. The reason he was on this trail again. Fifteen faces, fifteen people gone without a trace. He knew them all. Every name, every face, every grieving family. There was Mr. Lee, a man who had immigrated from China nearly thirty years ago and ran a dry cleaning business. His daughter, Amy had contacted the police when he had failed to show up for work. There was Mr. and Mrs. Garrett, Mrs. Garrett had disappeared after work and her husband had disappeared later that night after he had gone looking for her. Their son Hunk had come in to report them missing, he was a kid, just seventeen and alone. Keith remembered his tears and pleas to find his family. Mr. and Mrs. Haynes were missing from their suburban apartment. Mr. Haynes worked at a factory making car parts and Mrs. Haynes was a receptionist at a local insurance company. They didn't have any kids and were reported missing by friends at their workplaces. It went on and on. All adults, between the ages of 35 and 55, some married, some single. The Haynes and Garretts were the only couples who were missing together. There didn't seem to be any connection between them, no single job or location, nothing that told him why they were targeted.

To make matters worse there was a buzz on the streets, he had received word from several homeless shelters that they thought people were turning up missing. They couldn't be sure as the population was fluid, but it seemed like some regulars were just gone. There could be even more missing that what was on his board. The longest missing on the board had been gone for two months. There was no sign of them.

He wasn't getting a lot of support from the higher ups either. He knew the only reason he had this case at all was because Shiro had gone to bat for him. There was political pressure at high levels to shut down his case, that said it wasn't a case, that he was just making something out of nothing, that the disappearances were unrelated. He didn't think that was the case and he thought that the political pressure was just further proof that the Galra were behind it. He just couldn't find the proof he needed.

He heard Shiro walk into the room.

"I made coffee." He said from the couch.

"You did?" Shiro sounded surprised.

"I drank the whole pot." Keith answered with a grin not even turning.

"Of course you did." Shiro sighed, "I'm making eggs and another pot."

Keith grunted and went back to staring.

Keith had moved in when Adam moved out. Shiro was glad he didn't live in that rattrap he called an apartment anymore. He worried about Keith. His parents had adopted Keith when he was only thirteen and Shiro was seventeen. Keith's mom had abandoned him as a baby and his father, a firefighter, had been killed in a fire when he was ten. Three years after that had him bouncing between homes and earning a reputation as a troublemaker and problem child. Shiro's parents, Takeru and Natsuki, had taken on the troubled youth with open hearts and open minds and Keith had thrived. He had gone from nearly flunking out of school to an AB student. He still had attitude problems, according to the school, but to Shiro those attitude problems had a lot more to do with the school officials that refused to admit Keith had changed. When Shiro left for college the next year they had grown very close.

When Natsuki died Keith had stood with him and his dad at the graveside, the cancer had taken her quickly the year before Keith graduated high school. Keith had struggled that last year and if hadn't been for their dad pulling legal strings, he might not have made it to college. But their father was proud of his boys and had done everything in his power to make sure the school understood Keith's struggles and they had accepted him without too many threats of lawsuits. The show of faith had bolstered Keith and he had finished college and the police academy in three years. Two years on the force and his arrest record had earned him a place in the Special Investigations Unit with Shiro.

A year later Shiro went missing, it was during that time Takeru had died of a sudden heart attack. Keith had rented the crappy apartment, he didn't want to live in his parents' apartment with them gone. He didn't want to live in Shiro's apartment with him gone, even though Adam had tried to get him to stay with him there. He had withdrawn. It seemed to Shiro that Keith had been missing for a year, too, just a different kind of missing.

"So," Shiro brought a tray into the living room and sat it on the coffee table. Keith grabbed a cup of coffee and Shiro took it from his hands and swapped it for a plate of eggs. "You need food to go with the pot you already drank. You're going to give yourself an ulcer." Shiro joined him on the couch with his own plate of food. He stared at the boards. They had done this with cases before, even before Keith moved in. Adam had laughed and asked if they thought the board was going to talk to them as they sat in silence and stared at them. They had told him, yes, they just needed to take the time to listen. Shiro felt fatigue pushing him into the couch. He knew he'd woken Keith last night with his nightmare, but it was a bit fuzzy. He knew Keith wouldn't bring it up and he felt making breakfast and helping with the case were better apologies than anything else he could pull off.

"What's that warehouse?" Shiro pointed.

"Not sure. I found the address on a box at the scene were we picked that kid up." Keith frowned.

"You sound old when you keep calling him "kid". You're twenty-five - kid." Shiro smirked.

"Right, old man." Keith elbowed him. "Elderly at twenty-nine, is that why you are the youngest captain in department history."

"Yes, only old people can be captains, so I was prematurely aged." Shiro rolled his eyes. "The warehouse is your newest lead. I'd check it out."

Keith stood and walked to the board, nodding, "Yeah. I think you're right."

"Oh and Keith, do not go alone. Take Griffin and Leifsdottir with you."

"Shiro, really? Griffin?" Keith growled.

"He's good, he's by the book, and you need back up. Also if anyone is going to make a unconnectable connection it's Leifsdottir." Shiro looked serious. "I can make it an order?"

"No. I'll take them." Keith grumbled as he started to leave.

"Oh and Keith?" Keith turned to Shiro. "Please be careful?"

"I will Shiro. Why don't' you take the day off?" Keith tried to sound casual, but he actually was really horrible at it and Shiro cringed.

"I'll think I'll just take the morning. I'll be in by lunch, want me to bring you something?" Shiro offered.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure when I'll be back so make it something that won't go bad." Keith smiled at his big brother, he really was always looking out for him.


	8. Chapter 8

Adam and Lance stayed up most of the night working out the details. Adam would file paperwork with the court in the morning and contact the senator. Lance was to stay at "The Castle" as Lance insisted on calling it until Adam got back. If all went well and Iverson was on board, he would need to make an appearance at the courthouse later that evening for the press conference.

Lance was still pretty much terrified that this was all going to blow up in his face, but he had to try. Adam assured him that once they got the ball rolling he was going to hire him as an assistant in his law firm and any money he earned would be delivered to his family. In the meantime, Adam said that he already had Lance's family under surveillance and was making sure that they were safe at home and at work, and he made sure to include Hunk in that order. Though Hunk's work was a little harder to assure. Lance wanted to speak to his family and Adam said it would be arranged tomorrow.

After everything was started then his training would begin. He was to train in hand to hand combat with Allura, which freaked him out a little and he told Adam he couldn't hit a girl. Adam seemed very assured that it wouldn't be a problem, he had actually laughed. He was to do medical training with Coran, tech training with Pidge and legal training with Adam. Adam was additionally going to work with him on the shooting range. Then was the class Lance called "Princess Charm School" were he was supposed to learn manners and diplomacy and a bunch of that kind of thing. Colleen, Allura, and Adam were all taking turns with that one.

When Lance's head hit the pillow that night it was still spinning. The last words Adam had spoken when he left him let him close his eyes and sleep. "I promise I will keep your family safe. We have several contingency plans and if I have to go out as the White Lion and bring them here, than that's what we would do."

***

It was late when he woke, he could tell by the sun shining on him from the window. He showered and dressed in the jeans and a blue t-shirt and the new tennis shoes that looked like old school Converse in red and white. He wondered down the hall, just trying to get straight in his head where everything was. He took the elevator down and found himself back in the dining area.

"Oh, young sir, I left a plate of pastries in the dining room, if you would like. Everyone else has already had breakfast." Nan surprised him appearing out of a narrow doorway. "Could I bring you something to drink?"

"Um, sure, orange juice?" He asked and she nodded and disappeared. This whole having servants thing was weird. He found the pastries and heaped several on his plate before sitting down to dig in. Nan brought his drink and told him to press number 9 on the intercom if he needed anything else. He smiled and thanked her. After all his mami had taught him some manners.

After he finished his pasties he wandered outside. It was a beautiful day. He closed his eyes and soaked the sun into his body. He wasn't sure where this whole adventure was going to end, but he felt it in his gut that he was doing the right thing.

***

"Iverson." The older man answered the phone gruffly, as usual.

"Ah, Senator, it's Adam West. I have an opportunity for you." Adam described the case and how he had filed for asylum for Lance. He said Lance had been forced to work to try to pay back the money he owed the people that brought him here illegally. He sent him a couple of the snapshots showing Lance's black eyes and the handprint on his throat along with a picture of Sendak.

"I don't know Adam, I don't think it's a winnable case. This kid's getting deported, he has an assault charge against him." Iverson stated.

"You and I both know it's bogus, look at the size of that thug compared to the kid. He did not start that fight with Sendak." Adam argued.

"Doesn't matter, he won't deny it, will he? He's not going to counter Sendak. Everyone knows he'd end up in a shallow grave somewhere if he did. I need someone clean, someone that can generate sympathy. We need reform, Adam. We have to cut the legs out from under these creeps smuggling people. We need to give these people real options!" Iverson was passionate about his cause. He was a firm believer in "Give me your tired your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free". There was a pause and a few clicks from a keyboard. "Did he really break Sendak's arm?" Iverson sounded almost gleeful at that news.

"It seems he did Senator." Adam answered with a grin, knowing who really did that part.

"Alright, I'll meet him. If I like him we will move forward with the press conference. If not I'll change the topic on you. I want my reform to work and picking the wrong case won't help me. I do have a fondness for someone who can stand up to Sendak though. Be here by 3 pm." The senator hung up the phone and Adam sighed. As long as Lance could win him over they would be good.

***

Keith really wished Shiro hadn't made him take Griffin. The guy just got on his nerves with his whole I'm better than you attitude. To be fair he was pretty focused today, he hadn't done anything other than glare at Keith when he requested they join him, since they'd been here he hadn't done anything specifically annoying.

"So what are we looking for again." Scratch that he was definitely annoying.

"Suspicious activity, Galra associates, you know gathering information, working a case." Keith offered flatly. It wasn't like he hadn't said as much already.

"Yeah, but why here? What makes you think a warehouse in the middle of a bunch of other warehouses is somehow connected or special." Griffin huffed.

"The locks are new, high tech, the doors are reinforced, there are at least 2.5 times more security cameras around this building than the other six that I can see." Leifsdottir offered in her usual analytical manner.

"Oh. You could have said something sooner." Griffin elbowed Leifsdottir.

"Why, isn't it obvious?" She gave him a look like he should have just noticed. Keith had to work hard to keep from laughing at Griffin's discomfort.

They had been watching for a few hours now. Griffin had made a run for sandwiches and drinks earlier. All in all it was pretty boring. They had seen people in and out of other warehouses, a few semi trucks unloaded into one warehouse to the left, but nothing on the one they were watching.

"How long are we going to watch this place sit there?" Griffin was not fond of Keith and though he would follow orders no matter what, he really didn't have any problem questioning ones that came from Keith.

"Until…wait, someone's coming…" Keith cut off as four people came around the corner moving toward their warehouse.

"Of course," Griffin rolled his eyes. Figures something would happen as soon as he mouthed off. Keith had all the damn luck.  
There were three dressed in black hoodies and a fourth who appeared to have denim coveralls on. The three were dragging the fourth. A scream echoed as she tried to pull away from them and one of the others hit her.

"Okay, we need to move in. Griffin, you take Leifsdottir around that side and come up behind them. I'll come around this way and cut them off from the front. Do not move in until they open the warehouse, unless we have to in order to protect the girl."

Griffin nodded and took Leifsdottir's arm and they moved together. They were a good team, Keith thought. He hurried down the embankment they had been on top of and made his way quickly and silently around the warehouses until he was positioned around the corner from the target.

A few minutes later Griffin's voice echoed in the radio in his ear, "We are in position."

"Hold." Keith was watching. The thugs had dragged the girl up near the side door to the warehouse. Two of them were holding her. She was about five eleven, heavy set, with olive skin and tight brown curls on her head. She looked young and there were definitely sounds of crying. The coveralls she wore were grease stained and looked like a work uniform.

"Get the door open. Her big mouth might have caught someone's attention." A harsh voice snarled.

"I'm putting in the code. Give me a minute."

As soon as the door swung open Keith moved and signaled Griffin, "GO!"

"Police! Put your hands up!" Keith yelled.

The one by the door pulled a weapon, but before Keith could even fire he was dropped by a shot from Griffin. Another spun to fire at Griffin, but Leifsdottir dropped him. Keith moved cautiously forward, the one with the girl was moving back dragging her with them.

"Put down your guns or I will kill her!" The harsh voice from earlier yelled.

"Not going to happen." Keith stated. "Let her go and put down your gun."

"You're trapped. There is no where for you to go." Keith tried again. The suspect backed into the warehouse wall behind him. He seemed to realize there was no way out.

"Then I'm taking her with me."

He had barely finished speaking when Keith took the shot. It wasn't ideal, but he had no doubt he was about to shoot his hostage. The girl screamed as the head shot splattered her with blood. Keith rushed forward and pulled her away from the body. Griffin and Leifsdottir had checked the other two and were standing watch at the warehouse door.

"Detective, I hear voices inside." Griffin whispered as he approached.

"Okay, Leifsdottir, take her back to the car and call for additional back up and an ambulance." She nodded and Keith transferred the shaking girl into her capable hands. "It's going to be okay," he assured her and she gave his arm a squeeze, still too upset to speak.

Griffin and Keith exchanged a look, no words were spoken, it would be smart to wait for the backup. They couldn't know what waited for them inside the warehouse, but then they heard more noise from inside and the distinct sound of a hoarse voice calling out "help us!". No words, they moved, Keith going first and then Griffin, slipping past each other, providing cover in the darkened warehouse.

The place was one huge open structure, but it was full of stacks and rows of crates, some over twenty feet into the air on metal shelving. The noises and voices echoed so that it seemed they came from all around them: voices of multiple people, some asking for help, some crying, some shushing the others. They moved silently around corners and crates, the door they had entered was near one end of the warehouse, so they cleared it first and then began moving to the other end.

So far, no resistance, they moved freely. As they rounded a corner about halfway down the building, and found the source of the voices. There was a large metal cage. There were people inside of it milling around. When they saw Keith and Griffin they began screaming and banging on the bars.

"Shhh! Is there anyone else in here?" Griffin tried to quiet them.

"We're going to get you out, but we need to make sure it is safe first." Keith offered.

There were still cries and screams as they moved down through the rest of the warehouse, but Keith was not going to put them in the line of fire if there were more gunmen in the building. He and Griffin moved forward. They were clearing the final section of the building when Leifsdottir radioed that back up had arrived.

They moved back to the cage. There were thirteen men inside the cage. They looked like they had been beaten. They were bruised, some had makeshift bandages wrapped around wounds, some weren't able to get up. Keith radioed for the team to bring in some bolt cutters and ordered additional medical assistance. The lock on the cage door was a standard combination lock that could be cut off.

"We are getting you out of here." Griffin was trying to comfort them. There was a lot of weeping going on and jumbles of words that Keith couldn't completely make out. They weren't all speaking English. He knelt down next to the corner where one man was propped up.

"Can you tell me your name?" He asked softly.

"Gene," his voice was weak. He was sweating and pale.

"Gene, what is this place, what happened here." Keith asked softly.

"Hell. This place is Hell." Gene closed his eyes, his breath coming in uneven gasps.

"Hey, stay with me Gene. Who hurt you?"

"They all did, we all did this to each other. Fight or die," his voice was barely a whisper.

Keith thought he was going to vomit on the spot. In his mind another voice echoed, "fight or die". Shiro had screamed it in his sleep last night.


	9. Chapter 9

Coran had given Lance a tour of the castle. He showed him where things were in the kitchen and told him he was welcome to anything. He showed him the library, which was one of those floor to ceiling joints with the sliding ladders. He showed him the formal sitting room, a conference room, several rooms that seemed to have no other purpose than to hold fancy stuff, the stairs, and all of the exits. Then they went out and got into a golf cart and rode around the property.

Lance clung to the seat like his life depended on it, and considering the way Coran drove it very well might have. Lance was pretty sure the cart had gone up on two wheels when they went around the first curve. There was literally an 18 hole golf course, a campground, a climbing wall, a skate park, a riding stable with horses, a lake for fishing, a 50 acre wooded area, an outdoor shooting range, a basketball court, a tennis court, and the Olympic size swimming pool. Lance glanced ruefully at the ankle alarm, he would have really liked to try out the pool.

When Adam got back, he let Lance know he would need to be ready to leave at 2. They were going to meet the Senator and then if it went well they would go to the press conference, so he would need to be dressed for that. Coran took him back to the giant closet. Adam had instructed clean cut, white button down and dark slacks. Lance had said he could wear the ones he wore last night, but Coran objected and he got another pair of slacks and the white shirt.

Pidge showed up after that and drug him off to her, as she called it "la bore ah tore e". Lance didn't question the weird accent she used either. He was sure it made sense to her. Her lab was in a wing on the other end of the office area from the hospital rooms. She showed him into what looked like a warehouse. There was a car in pieces on one end, what looked like a laser cannon in the middle and various other things on tables throughout that he really wasn't sure how to identify. There were power tools, and hand tools, and all other kinds of things in one corner. Other corners had shelves of parts and materials. Lance couldn't help but think that Hunk would be drooling over this place. He had a serious knack for building things. He had taken apart and rebuilt their video game system when it had quit working. He had fixed the TV more than once, and he created a toaster oven using parts from a hair dryer, an old lunch box, and whatever else he found in the garage.

"Don't touch anything." Pidge snapped as he reached out to touch a gun looking thing on the nearest table.

"Okay." Lance put his hands behind his back and rocked on his feet.

"I'm supposed to teach you tech. So, how much do you know?" She crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

"I…uh…what?"

"So do you know what this is?"

"Pidge, that's a screwdriver, seriously? I'm not an idiot, but I don't know how to build a robot, does that help?" Lance answered annoyed.

"Hmmm. Okay how about this?" She held up something else.

"That looks like a graphics card from an old PC, why the heck to you have that?"

"Part of the test. Looks fancy, but isn't." She explained. "Now this?" She held up something slim and gray.

Lance held out his hand and she put it in his hand. He turned it every which way trying to make out a design or seem or something, but he couldn't find anything. "Pidge, is this a rock?"

Pidge doubled over in laughter, "You pass," she managed to get out between gasps of laughter. She was really cracking herself up and Lance had no choice, but to join in.

"Well, if that's all I need to know." Lance shrugged.

"Blah, no you just passed the test to see if you were worth the trouble to train. We'll start over here. This is the schematics to the house communications system. I'll walk you through how it works and we will set you up with a communication device and a number." Pidge swung over to a bank of three computers and began tapping away. She patted the chair next to her with one hand, while the other kept typing. "Come on. I want to get through this before lunch."

***

All of the rescued men and the hostage from earlier were taken to hospitals, they had to split them between three to accommodate them all. Keith was searching through the warehouse, they were calling in multiple forensics teams, so he had his gloves and shoe covers on to not further contaminate the scene. He knew he and Griffin and Leifsdottir would need to get back to the station and turn in their weapons until the shooting was cleared, but he wanted to see as much as he could before they had to leave.

"There are 1,207 crates in this aisle." He heard Leifsdottir talking with Griffin. "That crate is not like the others."

There was a pause and a noise and then he heard Leifsdottir yell, "NO! James don't open it!"

Keith rushed around the corner, worried for their safety, and got to see Griffin running for the door about to loose his lunch. From the sounds echoing from the door he did. Leifsdottir stood next to a crate the size of a dumpster. The lid was on the floor. Now Griffin isn't exactly inexperienced, so whatever it was must be pretty bad. The glassy look on Leifsdottir's face did nothing to make Keith feel better.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Medical waste." She spoke softly and pointed to a symbol on the side of the container. "I tried to stop him. Medical waste shouldn't be stored here. It would not be legal or logical." She never turned to look at Keith her eyes were firmly fixed inside the crate.

"What's in the box, Ina?" Keith tried again walking over to where he could see. He really wished he hadn't as soon as he got a look inside.

"Legs, sir, approximately 37 human legs, I believe they are all right legs." Leifsdottir swallowed thickly. "The box seems to have been refrigerated and sealed in some way to preserve them. We should replace the lid." She bent down to pick it up and Keith moved to help her. They were sealing it when Griffin returned.

"Sorry about that." He muttered.

"Don't be, I was almost right there with you." Keith offered. Thirty-seven legs, thirty-seven more victims to add to the 13 they had already recovered. He wondered just how many people were missing from the city and if any of the people on his list were amongst the people or parts they had recovered today.

***

"Senator Iverson, this is Lance McClain." Adam introduced them.

Lance warily looked the older man over. He hard leathery dark skin, buzzed gray hair and was missing an eye - grizzled came to mind as a good description. "Sir." He stuck out his hand to shake. The old man had a firm grip and Lance returned it. His father had told him never trust a man with a weak handshake.

"So, tell me son. Why should I want you to stay in my country?" Iverson cut right to it.

"Oh, well, sir, I came here to find a better life." He made a point not to mention his family. "I thought I'd be able to become a citizen and go to college."

"That's a rehearsed answer if ever I heard one. What do you want from this country, a free ride?" He snarled.

"Free? Are you kidding? Nothing is free here. All I want is a chance to buy stuff like everyone else." He gave Iverson his best smile.

"Funny, but fake." Iverson got right up in his face. "Why fight Sendak?"

"He had something that belonged to me." Lance's voice dropped and his eyes hardened. This wasn't going well and this guy was starting to tick him off.

"And what? You thought you could take him?" Iverson snorted his disbelief.

"Didn't matter. I needed it back and I was going to do what I had to do to get it." Lance met his eyes and didn't look away.

Iverson snorted again and looked over at Adam, "Kid's got grit, but you're going to have to watch his mouth. The flip funny might play to the crowds, but don't get carried away."

"So, we're on." Adam asked with a smile.

"We're on." Iverson answered.

Lance decided he had apparently passed another test today.

***

A scream from the living room caught Veronica's attention. She had been scrubbing dishes in the kitchen. Hunk had gotten back about an hour ago from his delivery and said there was no word on Lance. No one was talking, which meant they knew something and it wasn't good.

She had volunteered for the dishes. She couldn't let them see her crying. She had to be strong for the rest of them. She was in charge with Mami and Papi gone and it was her responsibility to take care of the family. Sobs were easy to hide under running water and the movements of washing dishes. No one questioned her, though she knew Luis was aware of her trick. He had only put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed before moving in to sit with the kids. He always gave Lisa some time to herself after supper.

"Veronica," Marco's voice shook. "Come here"

She stepped into the room, almost afraid, and then couldn't help the cry that escaped her lips. Lance was on TV. He was alive. He was standing beside a bunch of men in suits in front of the courthouse.

"Senator Iverson, how are your reforms going to improve the illegal immigration problem." A reporter was asking.  
"Instead of worrying about deporting illegals we need to work on systems to get them registered, on the path to becoming citizens. We need to make it easier to come to our country legally. When we do that, it will destroy the very profitable business of shipping people into this country illegally! These pigs are making money off people's hopes and dreams and it is not what our country was meant to be about! This young man was forced to commit to paying back more money than I make in a year to the people that brought him here. They are creating their own slave labor! It is abhorrent. It must not be tolerated!"

"And who is this young man?" The reporter asked.

"This is Lance McClain. He is seventeen years old. He was arrested yesterday morning and is in danger of being deported to Cuba. His lawyer has filed a request for asylum to allow him to stay. Lance came here looking for a better life than he had. He found scum that are willing to profit off a young man's dreams. That is why tomorrow I am introducing my reform bill in the Senate. Let's show this young man that this is still a country where dreams can come true!"

Iverson declined any further questions. Lance smiled brightly into the camera, but Veronica could tell it didn't quite reach his eyes. So, she sighed, he had been arrested and had somehow fallen in as a political pawn for rich old men that couldn't even begin to appreciate what a wonderful, kind, brave…she realized there were tears streaming down her face.

"He's alive." Hunk whispered.

"He's going to be sent back to Cuba." Veronica stated, defeat in her voice.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're a Criminal Minds fan I picture Leifsdottir as a Spencer Reid like character in this AU only a little more tech savvy :)

"It is going to take months to get through all of this." Keith ran his hands through his hair. He was back at the station. They had called in three additional forensics teams and requested back up from the state. There was so much to test and investigate. He, Griffin, and Leifsdottir were on desk duty pending a review of the shooting. Though, with the testimony of the hostage, Shay Balmera, they shouldn't have any issues. He had no idea how long it would take to get the DNA through for the body parts they had found. He knew testing was a lot faster now than it used to be, but the labs were still backed up. There were thirteen men to interview as soon as they were allowed to talk to them by the doctors at the hospitals. A few would be ready by tomorrow. All of them were under guard. Until backgrounds were run it would be irresponsible to just assume they were all good guys. Initial screenings had shown varying levels of a mixture of methamphetamine and PCP in most of their blood streams. If nothing else that combo seemed like a recipe for disaster.

"I should be through this years finances by the end of the day tomorrow." Leifsdottir and Griffin had set up at a table next to Keith's desk and she was pouring threw screen after screen of data faster than Keith thought it was even possible to read. "Most of it seems very legitimate. This should help us focus the forensics team and clear goods from the warehouse that are legal and just in our way."

"Yeah, in the way of the legs and stuff." Griffin grimaced. He was bored and basically just running errands for Ina. She was the book person. He was scheduled to start interviewing one of the men from the cage tomorrow. They didn't even have names for all of them yet. Give him a real person to work with or backgrounds to check, something other than numbers, lines and lines of numbers.

It was nearly 10 pm, when Shiro came in with cups of coffee. "I went down the street and picked up some of the good stuff before they closed." He handed a cup to each of them. "How's it going?"

"Oh, thank you Captain." Griffin stood and offered Shiro his chair. Shiro waved him off.

"Slowly," Keith groaned. "There is so much to sift through." Keith's desk and the table were covered. There was even more coming in from the warehouse in boxes and there was someone coming in tomorrow to open the safe. They had been unable to track the owner of the warehouse. It seemed very likely that it was a phony name and a phony company, but to complicate it there were actual legitamate businesses using the warehouse. There was an aisle of damn McDonald's cups and containers in crates. The local franchise owners said they'd been offered a steep discount from their past warehouse and had taken the offer. They never met the owners, everything took place online and they were provided a code for the side door and the dock.

"I'm going to suggest you all take a break for the night and start fresh in the morning. More will open up when you are able to talk to some of the people you rescued. You all did a great thing today and I am putting all three of you in for commendations. Truly, good work out there." Shiro had a smile for each of them. Fourteen people were safe tonight because of these three. He left them and headed to his office.

"Alright, Griffin, I will meet you at Miami Beach Medical Center in the morning, about 8. The doctors said all five sent there would be available to talk tomorrow, so we'll start there. That's also were the hostage ended up. I want to be sure she is okay. IA already talked with her tonight, so we won't be interfering with the shooting investigation to speak with her. Leifsdottir, the computers will be waiting on you in the morning. I called and requested Kincade and Rizavi join us for the investigation. Kincade will be working with you and Rizavi is going down to monitor progress at the warehouse itself. Thanks, for everything today, I'm glad I had you along." Keith shook both their hands and turned to head up to Shiro's office.

The office was up a flight of stairs from where most of the detective's desks were. The walls facing the bull pen were all windows. Shiro referred to it as the fishbowl. Keith could see Shiro waiting for him.

"You okay?" Were the first words out of Shiro's mouth as soon as the door closed.

"No. I don't know what I thought I would find in that warehouse, but none of this is close." Keith flopped into a chair. He hadn't told Shiro about what the guy Gene had said, he needed more information before he crossed that bridge.

"Let's go home kid." Shiro picked up his keys. He ruffled Keith's hair as he passed him. "Glad you're not hurt."

"Shiro!" Keith swatted his hand away, anyone could see them up here and he already had enough trouble getting respect he didn't need his coworkers to see that.

Shiro chuckled and held the door for him. He had been so relieved to see Keith walk through the doors of the station unscathed. He'd heard there were no injuries, but he'd also heard there had been a shooting and that Keith had been involved. It wasn't easy being the guy left waiting. Sometimes it made him wonder how Adam had done it all those years.

***

"Will it lead back to us?" Zarkon demanded.

"Well, not to you sir no, but if they are good, yes, there will be losses." Janka cowered in front of the desk.

"I want a list of exactly what is connected. Bring in Prorak and his lawyers, have them start cutting any ties with the immediate problems. Isolate them and keep them from leading any deeper than necessary into the organization. I will not let this interfere with my plans."

"Yes sir, right away sir." Janka nodded.

"Oh and Janka, I think a message may need to be delivered. Between this Detective and the Senator I have had a disappointing day. Please let Sendak know to make sure someone else has a disappointing day as well?" The coldness in Zarkon's voice made Janka shudder.

"Of course, sir." Janka scrambled out of the office. Delivering the news to Zarkon about the warehouse was better than giving the news to Haggar about the missing Quint. Fucking bitch had tried to cut his arm off with a cleaver. He had fifty stitches in his right arm. Of course, Zarkon wouldn't do that - he'd just kill him.

Janka got on the phone a soon as he was in the car. "Prorak? Did you hear? Yeah. We need to cut ties with anything that can't be saved and start covering our tracks. Right. I'll be over to your office. I have the books. Yes, they are on a computer I still call them the books. Right. Oh and Prorak, this might be the opportunity we've been looking for. Okay, on my way."

As he was driving he called Sendak, "Don't talk to me like that. It's not like I call you for fun. Zarkon wants a message delivered. He wasn't specific. He said the detective and the senator had given him a disappointing day and to make sure someone else had a disappointing day. Don't tell me what you're going to do. I don't want to know." Janka hung up the phone muttering.

***

"Okay, Lance, there is a fair chance Sendak's going to be watching for you. I'm going to be keeping an eye on you as well. If he gets rough, or you need me, press this button. I'll be right there, but I don't want him to catch me trailing you. We need him to buy the public story. It keeps your family safe." Adam cautioned.

It was so weird hearing Adam's voice coming out of the White Lion. The suit was amazing. Apparently it synced to his chair. It was like metal braces wrapped around his legs until he was standing and then it slid him into the suit from the back, then somehow the whole thing sealed him in. There was tech here that was beyond anything Lance had ever dreamed of and he was kind of looking forward to learning more about it.

"I know. I got the story. I can handle this. I have lived in this neighborhood for five years, it's not like there wasn't a chance of getting pounced on by a Galra goon every day I walked outside." Lance shrugged off Adam's concern. He was far more worried about what Veronica was going to say. She had refused to speak to him on the phone when he called last night from the courthouse. Hunk had done all of the talking and it was clear from his voice that not all was well on that end of the phone.

Lance was taking a taxi. They had gone down to the courthouse this morning, Adam had paperwork to do or that was the story, and Lance was to go from there. He was unusually silent in the cab, rehearsing what he was going to say. He knew he couldn't outright lie to Veronica or Hunk, so he had to think through what he could say that was true and wouldn't put them in danger.

He got out of the cab. Adam had paid the driver up front so he just waved to him. He was wearing his old clothes, Coran had gotten them washed for him. The jeans had even been patched at the knees. He walked up to the run down apartment building. Living in a castle for a couple of days really made him notice the crumbling cement on the steps, the cracks in the brick exterior, the broken and boarded up windows, and just general state of disrepair. The residents kept the trash picked up around the building, but it was only because they worked hard at it, people dumped junk all the time.

He walked up the steps to the second floor and knocked. He was almost knocked down by the person surging out of the door and tackling him in a hug.

"I thought you were dead. I had to come home and tell them and I swear, don't you ever do that to me again." Lance looked over Hunk's shoulder to Veronica waiting in the doorway.

"What he said, plus I will kick your ass." Veronica stated dryly before joining in the squish-Lance-a-thon.

"Can't breath." he managed to croak and they released him and pulled him into the apartment. There were a lot more hugs and tears and everyone was just glad to see him. Lisa brought him a plate of food worried he hadn't eaten. The kids worried over his bruises. Tori and Slyvio were especially upset and he had to tell them several times that he was okay and that he had seen a doctor and he was fine.

He had come about an hour before he knew Lisa needed to open the daycare so he could have time to talk with everyone. When she left with the kids the real questions began.

"What happened?" Hunk begged.

"I was delivering the package, just like normal and Sendak was drunk." Lance explained.

Hunk made a sound close to a whimper. It was well known how Sendak could be when he was drunk.

"He was being an ass, but I just told him I just wanted my money and no trouble." Lance shook his head. He really didn't want to tell his sister exactly what Sendak had wanted. He thought Veronica and Luis might know anyway from the looks on their faces. Hunk probably knew too, he'd seen a few others hit on Lance already.

"Anyway, then he wouldn't give me the envelop, held it up in the air and shit like that. He knocked me around a bit." Lance gestured to the bruises.

"A bit?" Veronica's hand ghosted over the hand shaped bruise on his neck.

"Yeah, he was getting rough, when the craziest thing happened. The White Lion showed up and kicked Sendak's butt. I was too slow getting away though and the police picked me up. Sendak told them it was me that beat him up, so they arrested me. They found out I wasn't legal, of course."

"The White Lion! Seriously?" Marco asked excitedly. Hunk's eyes had also lit up.

"Yeah, it was pretty cool." Lance smiled, if only they knew.

"Anyway apparently there is this whole thing going on in the government over immigration right now and this lawyer picked me up at the station. I got this to wear so they don't lose me." Lance waved the ankle alarm at them. "I had permission to visit Hunk today. I figured it was safe to put your name down." He smiled at his friend.

"Sure." Hunk nodded.

"So, this Iverson guy needed a pretty face for his campaign and some charisma, cause have you seen that guy? He looks like a piece of worn out leather. I just need to smile for the camera and be a good boy while my trial is conducted." Most everyone but Veronica was smiling and nodding along. She was frowning.

"Anyway, but in the meantime I have to stay with the lawyer since his client put up my bail and that was the deal. He's going to let me work as his assistant so I will get money to send to you. Is it okay if I send it to your PO box Hunk?" Lance looked to his friend.

"Yeah, but do we not get to see you?" Hunk asked with a frown.

"I have to get permission. I'm not sure how often I will be able to come." Lance responded sadly.

"Did they tell you that you would win your case?" Veronica finally spoke.

"No." He looked up with her with sad eyes. "No, they said I would probably lose."

She nodded. She knew it was true and she was at least glad they hadn't lied to him. The others made sounds of disappointment and Hunk and Rachel were crying.

"I have to try, right? They were going to deport me anyway. At least this way I have a chance of doing something good. I have to try to make something good out of this, Veronica." Lance looked into her eyes, blue meeting brown.

She finally sighed and looked down. She knew he was right. It still hurt. It still meant she was losing him.

"Damnit." Hunk was wrapped around Lance again.

"I know man, it's not exactly fair, is it? I'll be okay. Hey, if I get sent back to Cuba, I'll swim my way back here. They won't keep me away from you. Nothing can keep me away from my family." Lance felt tears slipping down his face. He hadn't lied exactly.

He was afraid. As much as he was protecting them he was going to have to spend a lot of time away from them. He'd never really been away from them before and his heart was breaking just thinking about it.

"And nothing will keep us from you, mi hermano." Veronica stated. It was a fact. It was a promise and she was going to be sure to keep it. She wiped his tears. "You are doing a brave thing. Please be careful."

"You know me." He smiled up at her.

"Yes, I do. Which is why I said, Please Be Careful!" She patted his cheek. He could be anything, but careful if he thought he was doing the right thing. He'd come home with five busted ribs from protecting a homeless man from a gang the first week they had been here.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sendak's a creepy creeper in this AU and talks like it. Avoid if this kind of thing bothers you.

Lance was almost expecting it. He was three blocks away from the apartment when the cab pulled over.

"Hey, this isn't my stop." He yelled from the back seat.

"Is today, kid, sorry." The guy did kind of look sorry as he closed the barrier between them and the door to the back of the cab opened up. Two guys reached in a dragged Lance out.

"Oh hey there, pretty boy, Sendak really wants to have a chat with you." One laughed.

"Yeah, he wants to have a little chat, with your face." The second chimed in with another chuckle.

Lance sighed, clearly he was dealing with geniuses. "Hey no worries guys, I'll come quiet."

"Aw man, that's no fun." The first one punched him in the gut anyway.

"Yeah, we'll say you at least put up a little struggle." The second followed with a kidney punch while he was bent over. They drug him between them into an alley and loaded him into the back seat of a black car. He wasn't really sure where they went as he was too focused on breathing at the time, but when the car stopped they pulled him out again and took him into a dark warehouse.

"I see you found our little friend." A deep voice growled from the darkness - Sendak. "If only you'd agreed to a little fun none of this would have happened." Sendak spoke almost wistfully as he walked into the circle of light. There was a single light on and a table below it.

"Didn't seem like fun was going to be had by all." Lance spoke cautiously.

"Perhaps not for you. Do you know why you are here?" Sendak asked.

"Cause Thug 1 and Thug 2 brought me." Lance answered. Sendak backhanded him.

"You have a big mouth. Too bad I don't have time to put it to better use." Sendak whispered the last words into his ear and Lance hated the chills it sent down his spine.

"Too bad, yeah." Lance tried to pull away and Sendak just laughed.

"You made a mistake, Lance." Sendak continued.

"Look, I didn't tell the police anything. I will take the rap on the assault charge. I know the rules." Lance spoke quickly. His lip was bleeding from the earlier backhand.

"You will. Yes, but you are helping Iverson. Do you think the Galra want immigration reform to interfere with our business?" Sendak asked.

"No. Look they just pulled me out of a cell and said they'd help me stay, all I had to do was smile for the cameras." Lance stuck with the story he had rehearsed. Sendak punched him in the gut.

"Right, smile for the camera and in doing so you gave my boss a disappointing day. Do you know what happens when the boss is disappointed?" Sendak asked getting into Lance's face again.

"No." Lance practically whispered still trying to catch his breath.

"Then other people are disappointed. You, for instance, are going to be disappointed when your Senator doesn't live to present his bill. So it will be off to Cuba for you." Sendak smacked his face hard, leaving his ears ringing.

"Then there is the police detective with the hair. You know the one that picked you up. He's not going to live to see tonight either. I can see the confusion in your face. You're wondering why you should care about the cop." Sendak punched him in the stomach again.

"I care. I'm a caring person." Lance offered coughing. Sendak laughed again.

"Well, this is where your punishment comes in. You see the cop has to be done. It's business, but I want you to remember what happens when you make a mistake. I want you to remember that your actions have consequences." Sendak nodded to Thug 1, who wrapped an arm around Lance, under his right arm and around his throat and pushed his face down into the table. Sendak grabbed his right arm and pulled it across the table stretching it out. "Just for you. Just because of what you did, smiling for the camera, I am going to blow up an entire busload of people to get one pesky detective. One busload dead, because of your smile, and so you don't forget…" Thug 2 wrapped his hand around Lance's mouth tightly and Lance could feel a blade against the skin on the back of his arm between his wrist and elbow. "I'm going to give you a reminder."  
Lance screamed into the hand covering his mouth as the blade dug into his skin. Over and over until they finally let him go and he sunk to his knees. He stared at this arm, the number "113" was carved into his skin, blood was running down his arm.

"If you tell anyone about this, I'll probably blow up another bus for fun, maybe that one will have someone you really care about on it?" Sendak and the thugs left him kneeling on the floor his head reeling with the information he had received.

After a few moments of silence he picked himself up and made his way toward the door. His back and stomach were throbbing from the punches and he was ignoring the blood running down his arm. If he didn't look at it, then it couldn't hurt he reasoned.

He made it about two blocks when he was pulled into an alley as he walked by. The White Lion stood in front of him.

"Dammit kid, why didn't you hit the button. I told you…" he started, voice filled with concern that was obvious even with the distortion from the mask.

"I got this." Lance coughed and wrapped his good arm around his middle. "I can take this." His breathing was uneven and clearly pained.

"Is that a fucking number?" The Lion gently reached out and lifted up his arm.

"Listen to me! I said I'm okay, we have bigger problems." Lance pulled his arm back, hissing a little as it pulled on the cuts.

"Bigger than having a number carved in your arm and telling me its "okay"!"

"Yeah, like all the people that are going to die tonight!" Lance snapped back. "We need to talk, somewhere safe."

The White Lion wrapped an arm around him and he carried him as he scrambled up the side of a building with a grappling line. He took them through a door in the roof top and into an attic area of the building.

"Okay, we are good there. This building is empty." Adam slid his mask back.

"How can you know?" Lance asked. He was not risking his family unless he was sure there was no one to hear them.

"Scan. No life signs but us." He showed Lance the 3D projection of the building as a holograph from his right arm. There were two dots in the place.

"Okay, Sendak said he is going to take out Iverson."

Adam frowned and fired off quickly, "When? How?"

"He said he wouldn't live to present the bill, so I'm guessing soon?" Lance answered.

"Okay, I'll have to warn him and get there. Can you get back to the castle? I'll give you cash." Adam handed Lance some money.

"Wait that isn't all." Lance blushed he knew it wasn't really his fault but he was ashamed of the next part. "He's going to blow up a bus, this bus." Lance held out his arm. "He said it was my punishment for smiling for the camera. He said he just needed to take out a detective, but he was going to kill everyone on the bus for me." Lance's voice hitched, but he managed not to actually cry.

Adam stared at the bloody number and a feeling of dread began to build in his gut, "What detective?" The number was too familiar.

"He said the one that arrested me. Kogane, I think?" Lance returned, curious to the change in Adam's demeanor.

"Keith." Adam whispered.

"You know him." Lance stated, it wasn't a question. It was obvious.

"I do." Adam frowned. "You get back to the castle. I'll call Keith and warn him, he can handle the bus and I'll go watch Iverson." Adam slipped the mask back on and started to leave.

"Wait! I can help, please, these people are in danger because of me." Lance offered.

"No, I am not putting you in further danger, besides that you are in no shape to do anything. Get back to the castle, now." The White Lion charged out of the room and Lance was left alone in the abandoned building.

"Sure, I'll just wander out of this vacant building. I'm sure I'll get a cab in this neighborhood. The only thing I've got going for me is they will probably already think I've been mugged and won't bother to try to rob me." Lance muttered to himself as he made his way through the building and down to the street.

***

Keith and Griffin had finished four of the six interviews. They had started with Shay. When they entered, her brother stood, practically radiating anger, until he found that they were the ones that had saved her, then he was all hugs. Keith sidestepped him and let Griffin take the hugs. Griffin didn't look too thrilled about it either. The brother waited outside while they talked with Shay.

She was a sweet, timid girl, and told them she had been eating lunch behind the garage she worked in when the suspects had walked up and told her they were having car trouble. She had followed them hoping to help, but when they got to the car they jumped her and drug her into the car. She said they only told her to be quiet or stop crying, but would not answer her questions about what they wanted. She did not know them and had not seen them before. She did not have any enemies that she knew. They thanked her for her time and gave her their card in case she thought of anything else. She was to be released today.

Keith and Griffin split for the next interviews. The two Keith talked to, were pretty fuzzy on the details. They didn't exactly admit to it, but implied heavily that they had been pretty high on something when they'd been picked up off the street. They were both homeless, but from different neighborhoods. They didn't frequent the same shelters, or soup kitchens, and they didn't seem to have anyone in common. Both of them were feeling the effects of withdrawal. They said that the guys that took them would shoot them up with something and then send them into some kind of fight cage. There were cameras all around it. Sometimes they would be cuffed together, sometimes there were weapons, but they were always supposed to fight until someone was down. Keith coaxed, but neither admitted to killing an opponent. The look in their eyes made Keith wonder though. It wouldn't be their fault, but it was even more telling about the kind of people that had held them. One had been there for six weeks and the other for three. They said some of the guys had been there for over a year.

Keith promised to get back to talk with each of them. They would be staying until their bodies had time to recover. Beside the withdrawal, they each had several healing injuries including broken ribs and bruised kidneys for one guy and a cracked shoulder blade for the other. Keith made a note to look up recovery houses that might take these guys in when they left so he could provide them with options.

Griffin was telling him that his guy was a factory worker. He had been picked up walking back to his apartment. He lived alone and didn't have any family in the area. He said the guys that took him drove a black van, something older, maybe a Dodge. He had told Griffin that sometimes people died in the arena. He said he hadn't killed anyone, but he'd seen it happen. He described the same cage set up, same cameras. Someone was watching these fights, but they weren't putting their faces out there. He said the people that moved them around from the warehouse to the fight always wore silver masks over the bottom half of their faces, so he didn't think he would be able to identify them, plus the drugs had made it hard for him to think. He said they were transported in a box truck, plain white, no markings and he hadn't seen a plate. They were getting ready to move to the last two interviews when Keith's phone rang.

"Hello?" Keith answered. It had a number not available message on it, but he answered it any way. Sometimes he just got a gut feeling about things.

"You are in danger. They plan to bomb your bus, 113, tonight." A gravelly voice spoke into the phone.

"What?! Who is this?" Keith yelled into the phone, catching the attention of the people standing around him at the hospital.

"You have to stop the bombing. Be safe Detective." And then a click and nothing.

"What the fuck?" Keith just stood staring at the phone for a minute.

"Keith?" Griffin was looking concerned and actually used his first name. He must look really freaked out. He noticed a lot of other people were staring as well.

"Sorry, sorry." He gave the crowd a strained smiled and Griffin dragged him around the corner into a quieter hall.

"What was that about?" Griffin hissed.

"Someone just called in a bomb threat on the bus I ride home sometimes." Keith whispered. "I have to call it in and see what I can do. Call Rizavi and Leifsdottir, let them know. This is too close to our bust yesterday to be a coincidence. Keep your eyes open. You could all be in danger."

"Unlike you, who actually got the death threat?" Griffin frowned.

"What? Well, yeah, I'm fine. Go ahead with the interviews and I'll be with you when I'm done making calls." Keith waved him off, but Griffin didn't leave. "Why are you still here?"

"Watching your back." Griffin leaned against the wall. "I'm your shadow until you get a protection detail or something. I know the Captain won't just let this go and so do you."

Keith sighed he hadn't even thought that far ahead. Of course, Shiro was going to completely freak out. "Fine." Keith started making calls. He needed to set this up right. He wanted to be sure the passengers would be safe, but he also didn't want to give away that they knew. This was their best chance to catch the suspect since they knew what was planned.


	12. Chapter 12

Adam clicked off the communicator. His heart was racing and he kept opening and closing his fists. He had to focus. He was letting his emotions get the better of him. He'd practically zoned out when he heard that Keith was the target. He needed to hear his voice, he needed to be sure he was okay. He knew he wasn't really his brother, but he'd felt that way for a long time and ties like that just don't disappear. He got his breathing under control. Keith would take care of himself, right. Adam wished he was more confident in that answer. As his thoughts began to clear he was more worried, worried for Keith, and worried for Lance. He shouldn't have just left him there, but he didn't want him in the line of fire either.

"Pidge." He activated the communicator again.

"Yeah."

"You tracking Lance?"

"Yes, he's still in this old neighborhood, not far from where you left him."

Adam frowned he'd told him to take a cab. "I told him to take a cab, why is he walking."

"A cab, in that neighborhood, are you serious Adam?" Pidge talked to him like an idiot sometimes, sometimes he was one.

"Can you go pick him up? We have a situation and I have eyes on Iverson. He's going to need constant protection until he gets his bill introduced." Adam sighed. He wished he could be two places at once.

"Yeah, I'm taking the Gator." Pidge sounded a little too excited about this. She wasn't exactly legal to drive, but then the Gator wasn't exactly a legal vehicle either.

"Don't blow anything up." Adam demanded.

"One time, Adam, let it go." Pidge disconnected.

Adam turned back to watching Iverson with another sigh. He didn't really have any way to know when or where the hit on Iverson would take place, so all he could do was wait and watch. He had scanners sweeping the area constantly. Galra tech would be flagged right away, but if they were working with something more mundane he might not get much notice. He stretched his back and moved his legs, while he couldn't feel anything in them, he knew he'd been in the same place for a long time and it was important to keep the blood flow going and avoid the cramps that could start in his lower back. The suit let him move, it didn't magically make all of his issues go away. He remembered thinking he would never be in this suit again, that this part of his life had ended.

Shiro had been so patient with him, nursing him back to health, going through all of his exercises with him, carrying him when he was too weak for the chair. He'd never left him on those days when he hadn't been sure he even wanted to be alive. Shiro had convinced him there was still life for him, even before Pidge had retrofitted the White Lion suit for his injury. And then he had to get back out here, had to protect people, had to continue his mission, and doing so put Shiro in danger. He took another deep calming breath. He couldn't let Shiro get hurt again. He had left Shiro so he wouldn't get hurt again. And here he was not much more than a year later and Shiro was in danger anyway. Keith was a target, which meant Shiro was a target, and even if he wasn't he'd be destroyed if anything happened to his little brother. He'd given up so much and now he wandered if it even mattered. Mabye Allura was right, maybe he had made a mistake.

***

Lance was walking down the street. He could handle this he was fine. He was only the reason a busload of people might die. He wished his arm wasn't bleeding still. He felt like he was leaving a trail of bread crumbs, but he didn't want to find his way back anyway. Okay, so maybe he was a little out of it. Maybe he should downgrade to okay, fine might be a bit of a stretch. He was walking somewhere, he wasn't actually sure how to get to the castle from here. Mabye to the courthouse?

"Lance?" He looked around, great, now he was hearing things. "Over here." Pidge waved at him from an alley up ahead. She was wearing a green sleeveless hoodie and tan knee length shorts, but it was clearly her.

"Pidge, you shouldn't be here, it's not safe." He muttered as he got close to her.

"No, kidding, what the hell man! You did not look that bad when I let you out. Seriously, do you know you're like dripping blood. What the hell was Adam thinking! Get the fuck over here and sit down!" Pidge dragged him back into the alley. She reached into nothingness and somehow opened an invisible car door. There was the interior of some kind of vehicle, but no exterior.

"Oh, I don't think I hit my head that hard." Lance climbed into the not there vehicle and sat in the seat. Pidge closed the door. Once inside he could see the whole thing, some kind of off road vehicle. Pidge rummaged around in the back and then climbed in the drivers seat and closed the door. She was practically radiating anger.

"I'm sorry." He bowed his head. He wasn't sure why she was mad at him, but he hadn't meant to upset her. He didn't have that many friends.

"What?! What the fuck are you sorry for?!" Pidge pulled out some antibiotic cream and an alcohol wipe. She pulled his arm closer. "Is that a number?" Her voice was almost a whisper.

"Yeah. I'm sorry." Lance leaned his head back, he was feeling a little woozy.

"Stop it!" Pidge snapped.

Lance jerked back and snapped his eyes open, "What, I'm…"

"STOP APOLOGIZING!" Pidge near screamed. "For fuck's sake, stop apologizing, you're hurt." Lance wasn't sure what was happening, but suddenly she was crying. He thinks he'd rather have her go back to screaming. She cleaned the cut and applied the cream. He flinched a little, but her hands were surprisingly gentle. She wrapped his arm with a bandage and wiped her eyes before looking up into his. "I'm going to take you back home. Coran will check you out, okay?"

Lance's breath hitched. It wasn't okay, he couldn't just go home. "Pidge, there is something else I need to do, but I need your help."

"What do you need to do, except lie down and rest." Her eyes narrowed.

Lance took a deep breath. "The number, it's a bus and the Galra are going to blow it up and kill everyone on it, because of me. To punish me for being on camera with Iverson."

"Lance, I don't know, you are hurt, did you tell Adam?" Pidge frowned.

"I did, there is supposed to be a detective on the bus and he's the main target. Adam was going to warn him and then he went to guard Iverson. He can't be both places and if something goes wrong, people will get hurt. I have to be there. I have to be sure." Lance practically begged.

Pidge's mind hung up on part of the sentence, "What detective?"

"Kogane," Lance frowned, "Adam called him Keith."

"Shit. Shit. Shit." Pidge punched the steering wheel and then shook her hand as it sent shocks up her arm.

"Okay, so you know him too?" Lance wondered how all of these people fit together.

"He worked for my dad. He was Adam's…he was like a little brother to Adam." Pidge worried at her lipping looking at Lance nervously. "Okay, I can help you, but can you try to be a little more careful?"

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?"

***

"Keith." Shiro was sitting at his desk when he got back to the station. He really should have expected that.

"Shiro." He took off his coat and hung it on the coat hooks on the wall under the stair and then walked back to his desk. "You're in my chair." Griffin followed along like the shadow he had been all day.

"Where are Leifsdottir and Kinkade?" Griffin asked.

"We set them up in a conference room, there was too much to deal with here, they needed more room and apparently Leifsdottir needed two more computers. I believe she said one was wasting too much time. I have never seen anyone type on two computers at once." Shiro shook his head. The new detective was a marvel sometimes. He had the honor of meeting some actual geniuses in his time and even they didn't do that, she had her own brand of brilliant.

"You waiting on me." Keith asked Shiro still standing and looking down at him.

"Yep. I'm supposed to give you your instructions for the op tonight. I'm not in charge apparently there was concern I was too close to the target." Shiro gave him a wry grin.  
Keith relaxed a little and pulled over another chair. He had been afraid Shiro was going to try to talk him out of it.

"There are usually only a handful of people on the bus when you get on at your usual time of night. We have to assume that is when they plan to hit. We don't know when they plan to plant the bomb, but the bus, did have a scheduled fill up around 5 pm, it was the only time the bus is scheduled to be empty. It seemed like a good possibility, but we had constant surveillance on the bus and didn't see anything. We have undercover agents scheduled to pose as riders on the bus from that point until you get on at 8 outside of the station."

"Okay. Sounds like we have it covered." Keith nodded.

"That is assuming that the call is real and it really is a bomb we are looking for and not a shooter or something else. I need you wearing a vest and you aren't losing your shadow until you are home. There is already a guard on the apartment." Shiro wasn't taking any chances with his brother. To be honest he was terrified, these were the people he believed were responsible for his abduction and captivity and now they were after his little brother.

"Shiro that's not necessary, I don't need a shadow." He glared at Griffin. At first he'd been a little touched by the gesture, but by the end of the day he was just really annoyed with being followed. The guy stood by the sink when he went to the bathroom earlier. It was all just a bit much.

"Well, Griffin is off duty now," Shiro gave him a smile and a nod, "you have a new shadow for the rest of the trip."

"Please don't tell me it's you." Keith groaned.

"Nope. Not that I didn't try, but I was shot down." Shiro laughed lightly.

"Of course, proper procedure should be followed." Ryner smiled lightly as she walked into the room. She was dressed in what could only be described as an old lady dress.

"Thanks, Ryner." Shiro smiled back at her.

"I was available." She smiled at Keith. "Not just anyone rates someone with my skill set."

Ryner was an accomplished undercover agent, but also a tech wizard and had previously been the head of the bomb squad. She had transferred to the FBI nearly a year ago.

"So has my case gone Federal?" Keith frowned a little. He didn't mind Ryner's help, but he didn't want the feds taking over.

"To the point as always Keith, we've been called in to assist." Ryner just pulled up a chair and made herself comfortable. She was too used to Keith to let his manner bother her. "They managed to trace some of the illegal merchandise in your warehouse across state lines already. And one of your 13 detainees was from Chicago. My team got here this afternoon. It's still your case Keith, we're here to help, not take over."

"Thanks, Ryner," Keith shook her hand and grabbed the vest Shiro handed him. "I guess I need to change. Thanks, Griffin." He waved to the other detective as he gathered his things to head out. "See you in the morning."

Griffin nodded, "In the morning, we have more interviews." He turned and headed down the hall to the conference room. He needed to get Ina or she would spend the entire night here. Ryan was not very good at getting her to quit; he would probably just sit there and join her.


	13. Chapter 13

"Okay, hold still." Pidge did something to his ankle alarm. She wouldn't let him see what she was doing and suddenly his ankle felt naked. She stepped back and she was wearing the alarm. It was still blinking green happily unaware of the change in ankle.

"You did it! You are so awesome!" Lance danced around spinning a few times. It just felt freeing. "Hey, can you do this more often, I mean I could go visit my family or something?" He batted big blue eyes at her and she stuttered.

"I..um…maybe." She went to the cabinet and pulled out a duffel bag. "Here, put this on. It's a like a souped up motocross uniform. If I'm putting you on the bike, you are wearing that."

Lance grabbed the bag against his chest and squealed, "You are the best." He danced into a nearby closet to change.

Pidge muttered to herself as she uncovered the blue and red motorcycle. She should not be doing this, but she wasn't going to leave Keith's protection up to Keith. That just wasn't acceptable and Adam should have asked for help. He couldn't leave Iverson unguarded, he was just a Senator, but she knew Adam would rather be watching over Keith.

She had just seen Keith last week. He was doing well. He stopped in to see her once a week. He was still looking for her dad and Matt. He did weekly reports for her. She didn't think it was on department time either, he was just working on his own. He hadn't stopped, not even when Shiro managed to escape.

She had her own investigation going and Keith knew about it, so they would exchange information and leads. Of course, she was holding out on him. She knew a lot more about what was really going on than she could tell him and he thought he was protecting her and wouldn't give her information he thought would lead her to trouble. She chuckled to herself, as if she needed to be led to trouble.

The bike was ready to go. It was way faster than anything on a track today. Pidge so wanted to take it out and race it, but Allura had frowned and Adam had growled and her Mom had said no. It had a few other features on it that she had added, but she didn't think Lance needed missles for this mission.

"Well, how do I look?" Lance stepped out. He was wearing the blue uniform. It was a full body suit, in dark blue and white with blue black boots. He held the helmet under his arm. It was blue with a the face of a lion painted on it so that the visor was the mouth of it roaring.

She had to admit he looked good. The blue really brought out his eyes and he didn't have any trouble pulling off the fitted suit. He was pretty athletically built. On the other hand that wasn't really what she had made it for. She walked up to him and poked at his shoulders, pulled at the back and made sure the boots weren't too big.

"It fits," she declared at last.

Lance frowned pouting, "Well, can you at least show me to a mirror or something?"

She cackled and pointed to a shiny cabinet in the back of the garage they were working in, "That should work. You look fine."

"Fine?" Lance asked turning around to appreciate the look. "I look like a bad ass!"

"Well come over here bad ass," Pidge waved him over to the bike. "You are sure you can ride this?"

"I can ride a motorcycle, Pidge. I've even raced a few."

"Okay, just don't hit this button, or this one, or defintely not that one." Pidge pointed to three things on the front of the bike.

"What's it going to do fire a missile?" Lance joked.

"Yes."

"What?! Pidge I was kidding!" Lance stared at her.

"I was not, that button fires the missles, this one is like a turbo boost, and this one is the cloak." Pidge pointed to them each in turn.

"Okay, Pidge, you're a little scary sometimes." Lance smiled at her and stepped astride the bike. He couldn't stop the wince and his arm wrapped around his middle.

"Lance, this is a bad idea. Let me go instead." She reached for the handles, but he put his hand out and stopped her.

"No, Pidge, please. I need to do this. I can't put you in danger too."

"This is so not even close to your fault!" She snarled.

"Okay, if you say so, but if I let you go that would totally be my fault." Lance started the bike and smiled at the sound it made. "It's fast right?" He had talked really fast to get her to buy into this scheme of his and even faster to get Coran to go along. The older man had insisted on a complete medical once over and some more creams and pills. Apparently he had two cracked ribs now, but it didn't matter. What mattered was he was not going to have anyone's death hanging over his head. It was not going to happen. Coran had insisted on him eating a meal and resting for a bit in the medical wing. Pidge had told him she knew when Keith would get on the bus and he had time. He hated to admit it, but he had felt a lot better after that. The ribs still twinged, well to be honest they hurt like a son of a bitch, but he could work through it.

"Keep it under the speed limit there Speed Racer, you don't need to get pulled over." Pidge took his helmet and he leaned down to let her thump it onto his head. "Take care of you and Keith and all those other people. Here take this." She handed him what looked like a phone.

"iPhone?" He asked.

"Scanner, it will pick up the presence of any dangerous tech in a 1 mile radius." She looked away as she said it.

"Dangerous? It just knows what is dangerous and what isn't. Pidge, that's not even a good lie." He frowned at her.

"Fine, whatever, it's need to know and you don't need to know. If something blinks on here it's bad and it's probably the bad guys you are looking for." She shoved it at him.

"Okay." He put it into the front pocket of the suit. He flipped the visor down on his helmet and waved. The bike started up and he went out of the door Pidge opened. The visor had a computerized display on it and Pidge was sending him directions. The helmet had a two way com and so she could talk to him.

"Good luck." Her voice echoed in the helmet. He smiled, there was almost four miles of curvy drive before he got to the gate, he wondered just how fast he could get this to go. He howled with glee as he pushed the bike faster and faster, it was almost like flying.

***

Iverson had been in his office all morning and all afternoon, he had even had lunch delivered. He had scanned the delivery driver and other than an obscene amount of Lo Mein there wasn't anything suspicious. Iverson had a bunch of people in and out of the office, assistants and pages from other offices, carrying copies of his bill, making phone calls. He was getting ready for the big reveal, but it made a lot of people for him to keep track of and a lot of scans to be done. At least it wasn't a boring stakeout.

He watched as the assistants thinned out. A car was brought around, and Iverson was preparing to leave his office. Adam was getting more worried, the time to strike was running out. What were they going to do? He crept closer to the edge of the roof he was waiting on and watched through the window as Iverson was gathering his papers, it was then he saw it - a laser site reflecting in the window. He looked back and across the street was a figure with a large weapon on it's shoulder. He had no time to think, he had to react.

He dove from the roof he was sitting on and activated his suit's limited flight capabilities to jet across the way and through Iverson's window. He picked up the heat signature of the weapon firing as he broke through the glass. He didn't even drop speed.

"Down!" He yelled as he dove forward and wrapped himself around Iverson and pressed a button to activate a particle barrier around them. The room exploded into heat and light as the grenade blasted through the window and exploded in the office.

Adam held on to Iverson, who had gone slack. He thought he had hit his head as he had been ducking down and Adam tackled him. As soon as the fire ball died down, Adam picked up Iverson and carried him out of the building. There was already a crowd forming. He was about to go trace the gunman when a secondary explosion lit up the second story of the three story building. He didn't know if another grenade had been fired or if something in the building had exploded. There were screams and cries from people still trapped inside. He couldn't leave them. There was a office security guard giving first aid to Iverson so Adam headed back into the building.

The first floor was filled with people and smoke and alarms blaring. Adam activated the lighting in his suit and the teal lights cut through the smoke.

"This way, come this way to the door!" He called to people and began to set a series of emergency lights around the door and in a path from the stairs to the door. Once that was done he moved up the stairs.

The second floor was nearly completely engulfed in flame. The particle barrier on his suit offered him some protection, but it was not perfect. The heat was intense and the air was not breathable. He activated the internal oxygen mask in the suit and the cool air from the internal oxygen cannisters filled his helmet. He made his way through the floor checking offices. There were bodies, but no one to rescue.

He climbed up to the third floor. At the top of the stairs he found two young men in suits, they had collapsed on the ground. He grabbed one under each arm and made his way to the nearest window. He broke the glass. Looking out he could see an alley below. He dropped a flare down. He attached a rope to the first man that was part of an ingenious grappling system Pidge had designed and lowered him to the ground below. The second man soon followed. The flare had been spotted and soon he saw paramedics moving into the alley.

He continued through the third floor. The smoke was so thick he could barely see a few feet in front of him. He found another dead body, an older woman. Then he found an office with something stuffed under the door, he opened the door and found five young people, they seemed to be high school aged, huddled together on the floor away from the door. There was no window in the office.

"I'm going to get you out of here." He assured them. "Keep low, crawl, I'm going to attach each of you to this rope and lead you to a window where I can get you down and out of here. Okay?"

There was some hysterical crying from one of the girls and one of the young men seemed afraid to move.

"Look at me. You can do this, you are going to be okay, alright?" He spoke in the low gravely voice of his suit.

"You really are the White Lion?" One of the girls asked.

"Yes. Now I have the rope ready, lets go." They crawled slowly under the smoke, but the kids were still coughing and having trouble. It was scary not knowing where they were going, not being able to see, and the smoke made it so hard to breath. They made it to the window and Adam began lowering them one at a time down to the alley. The fire had made it to the top of the stairs and the room was getting hotter. They didn't have long. He was down to his last two when the fire swept across the ceiling and started down the walls.

He finished lowering the young woman who had asked his name and grabbed the young man who still seemed frozen in fear.

"What's your name?" Adam asked.

"R..Regris." He managed.

"You ready to get out of here?" Adam patted him on the back.

"Yeah." He looked up at Adam and finally seemed to come back to himself.

"Grab a hold of me. I've got you." Adam wrapped an arm around Regris and swung out the window. He activated the suits leg jets and lowed them slowly to the ground.

Regris was shaking when they landed his arms wrapped tightly around Adam.

"You can let go now." Indulging amusement colored his tone.

"Oh," Regris let him go. "I, um, Thank you! You're my hero!" He leaned forward and gave him a hug and an impetuous kiss on the side of his helmet.

"Be safe, kid." Adam saw the police starting to move his way and he had no desire to answer those kind of questions today. He activated the suit again and jumped to the roof of the next building over. From there he moved from building to building until he had made a clean get away.


	14. Chapter 14

Lance loved the bike, the bike was awesome. He hadn't ridden since they'd moved to the states, they had left his old dirt bike at home. Marco had built it from parts. He had ridden it everywhere. Marco had joked that his legs were going to stop working if he didn't walk at least some of the time. Veronica had asked if he was sneaking out to the garage and snuggling with it at night. He hadn't cared. It made him feel free and fast and just alive.

He drove through the traffic, weaving around slower cars and trucks. The bright lights reflected off of the black pavement. Pidge was directing him to where the bus was currently. It was still three stops from the police station where Keith would get onto the bus. He was making good time. Pidge kept sniping at him to slow down. He laughed.

He saw the bus up ahead. It had just pulled away from a stop. Lance slowed down and slipped in behind the bus. He had Pidge's scanner stuck in his sleeve and going as slow as he was he carefully slid it up to check it. Nothing was showing on it. He kept it poked up a little so he could see it. His eyes covered the bus and the street. There were three people on the bus, cars moving passed. People were walking down the sidewalk. Nothing stood out to him.

He followed along. There were two more people at the next stop. A man and a woman dressed in business suits. They got on and a younger male got off. It was weird, Lance thought the guy that got off looked uncomfortable and actually looked over at him. He double checked the scanner and nothing was showing on that guy. The next stop was at the police station.

The bus was a two blocks away when something bleeped on the scanner. There was a dot moving his way and fast. Lance looked back over his shoulder and saw a motorcycle moving up through the traffic. The rider was wearing black. He was not obeying the speed limit. Lance moved back into traffic, weaving two lanes over from the bus. He waited until the bike was next to him and then slid in behind it. He revved his bike and kept on the tail of the other. The other driver looked back at him and then slammed the brakes. Lance had to swerve and had to fight to keep the bike upright. The other driver jetted forward again. He was right next to the bus. He was reaching out and had something in his hand. Lance felt his gut twist, this was it.

He jetted forward and pushed between the bomber and the bus. The bomber had to swerve this time, keeping a tight grip on his package. He pushed back and pinned Lance and his bike against the bus. Lance shoved his elbow into the bomber. The bomber swung the box over toward the bus again. Lance twisted the front wheel and managed to push him away from the bus. At this point the bus was aware of the conflict and was stopping. The bikes pushed forward ahead of the bus. The bomber swung back around onto the sidewalk and back toward the bus. Lance managed to follow. He gunned his bike as fast as he could get it moving and rammed the other bike. The bomber threw the box at the front of the bus. It seemed to latch on the side.

Both bikes went skidding to their sides. The bomber flipped and went through a store front window. Lance's spun around the corner and collided with a dumpster in the alley. Lance picked himself up gingerly and tried to blink the blurriness out of his eyes. Lance pulled his bike up and parked it behind a dumpster further back. He crept forward in the shadows and watched.

The detective Lance recognized and an old lady came running up. The lady looked like she was working on the box. The detective was right beside her hurrying people off of the bus. The old lady, threw off her wig and yelled something. People were moving away from her, except the detective. He was still right there. She yelled again, but he just shook his head. The people from the bus had stopped traffic and were moving people away. They were creating a space around the bus.

Then the lady shouted something else. The detective visibly relaxed. He moved away and headed toward the broken window. He pulled his gun and stepped inside.

"Damnit." Lance muttered.

"Lanc…wha…fuc…" Pidge's voice broke through the static in his helmet. Something must be broken.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but the bomb's been disarmed. That detective just followed the damn bomber into a dark store. Idiot. I'm going after him." Lance spoke into the com. His ears were ringing and his side was killing him, but he didn't feel too bad considering he'd just wrecked. Pidge's suit was pretty awesome.

"…iot…no…Ad…ait!" Pidge tried again.

"Sorry, I really can't hear you, there's static and like a bit of voice, but no words."

Lance moved to the side door of the building. It was locked, but the door was worn and Lance kicked it in. He moved into the darkened interior of the building. He kept to the shadows creeping forward. He wasn't sure if either of these guys might shoot him. It was a department store of some kind, there were lots of clothes and racks and stuff. He saw something moving up ahead. He crept under a rack of pants and crawled forward.

It was the detective. He was crouched down low and moving down the aisle. He seemed to be following something. Lance heard a faint sound and looked down the scanner was peaking out of his sleeve. He looked at it. There were two dots now. One was just ahead of the detective. Lance looked back up and saw a purple light blinking between the legs of the mannequins.

He probably should have thought about what he was doing, but he really can't say that he did. One moment there was this blinking light, the next he was tackling a police detective holding a gun. They went flying to the side as the bomb exploded.

***

"Adam, come on, come in!" Pidge was yelling in his ear.

He was a little out of breath, but managed to answer, "Running from the police right now, Pidge, can I help you?"

"Is Iverson okay?" She asked tentatively.

"Yes, but that's not why you called." Adam had gotten enough of a lead and jumped down into an alley.

"No. Lance needs your help with Keith."

"Why does Lance? Never mind, we will discuss that later. Where?"

"Sending you the coordinates now. Lance said they were moving into a store. His com is broken and only working one way." Pidge offered.

"Okay, I'm five minutes away." Adam pressed a button. A drone appeared above him. He reached up and grabbed the bars underneath and slipped into the built in harness, like a hang glider with a motor. He pushed another button and the cloak activated.

***

Keith's ears were ringing. His head was pounding. There was a lot of smoke, fire, what was going on? He tried to sit up, but there was a weight holding him down. He pushed and the weight moaned. Keith's scrambled brain tried to put this into order. He reached a hand up wiped at whatever was getting in his eyes. Blood, he stared at his hand. He was bleeding?

He managed to roll the person off of him. They were wearing some sort of leather or something. A motorcycle came to mind and he remembered he'd been following someone. Was it this person?

"Hey?" He realized the other hadn't really moved. He pressed his finger tips to his neck and found a pulse. He rolled him over and sat back in surprise. It was the kid from the other day, the one that Adam had gotten out on bail. He wasn't in good shape.

A bomb, there had been a bomb, it all started to come back to him. The kid had pushed him out of the way. He'd saved his life. The fire around them didn't seem to be spreading, just after effect from the concussive blast. He grabbed him under the arms and attempted to pull him away from the smoke. His head was spinning and he felt nauseous, by the time he got them further back in the store he was out of breath. He sat down, panting, sweat was dripping down his face or blood, or both maybe. He coughed into his hand and was surprised to see blood on his hand.

***

Adam slipped into the back door of the shop. He'd found Lance's bike and cloaked it. It was obvious where he had gone in. There was smoke coming from inside. The blast had destroyed most of the front of the building. There were causalities outside and it didn't seem like the building was stable. He could hear Shiro yelling at them to let him past. He hoped they managed to hold him for at least a while. He made his way into the store and pulled out his scanner. It was easy to pinpoint Lance with the tracker Pidge had put in the suit. He picked up Lance's helmet on the way. It was obviously damaged. He found them in a back room off of the main showroom, maybe a storage area.

As he neared he saw Keith leaning back against the wall. There was blood running down his face and he had Lance propped against his shoulder. Keith always looked pale, but he was taking it to a new level. Lance was completely still. He had blood matted his hair. Keith had fingers pressed against his neck where he could feel his pulse, if there was one. Adam shook his head, no use thinking like that. When he was within five feet, Keith raised his gun and pointed it straight at him.

"Don't move." His voice while strained was not weak.

"I can help you. I can help him." Adam put his hands out away from his body.

"You're under arrest." Keith's gun never waivered. "I don't think anyone can help him." He spoke with regret. "His pulse is erratic. His best chance is to get to a hospital right away. You carry him out and turn yourself in and I'll get him there."

"No. His best chance is with me. I can save him. I have access to things your hospital can't even dream of, if he comes with me he has a chance." Adam spoke calmly.

"Why would I trust you? I know you left Adam. If you had so much tech, why didn't you save him?" Keith snarled.

Adam bowed his head, when had his lies gotten so complicated. "Please, Keith, he can't be seen here."

"Keith? I didn't tell you my name." He frowned. "You're the one that called and warned me."

"For all the good it did, yes." Adam inched forward.

"Don't move! I will shoot you." Keith's eyes narrowed.

"Please, listen to me, he can't be here. He's the reason I knew to warn you. If the Galra found out he was here, he and everyone he knows will be in danger." In the background Adam could hear Shiro's voice, he was getting through the barricade. He was coming. "Please, Keith, Kashi is coming. He can't be seen here. Let me save him." Adam was nearly desperate.

Keith's face registered complete shock and he lowered the gun, "Go." As Adam picked Lance up he finally spoke again. "He'd better be okay. I expect to hear from you."  
"Yeah." Adam dashed out the back door cradling Lance to his chest.

Keith watched them go, he was still having trouble breathing for all his bluff. He could hear Shiro coming through the front door, he'd be here soon. "Kashi" repeated in his mind. There was only one person who had ever called Shiro "Kashi".


	15. Chapter 15

"Keith!" Shiro tore into the room. Keith was sitting on the floor leaned against the wall. His weapon was in his hand laying on his lap. "Keith?"

"Shiro." Keith's voice rasped painfully.

"I got you kid." Shiro reached out and brushed his hand across his check. "I need a medic in here!"

"Bomber got away." Keith told him, meeting his eyes. "There was someone else here, pushed me out of the way, they left when…heard you coming."

"Okay, it's okay." Shiro's heart was thudding in his chest. There was blood running down Keith's face. There was blood on his lips, in his mouth. His hand was trembling on his gun. Shiro picked the gun up made sure the safety was on and stuck it in the back of his pants. He brushed Keith's bangs back out of his face, he was sweating.

"Don't feel so good." Keith muttered, his breaths seemed shallow and weak.

"Okay, just take it easy, just breath." Shiro felt a tear run down his cheek. He hadn't realized he was crying. "Where the FUCK IS THE DAMN MEDIC!"

"So loud, Shiro." Keith looked over at him. "I have a headache."

Shiro found himself laughing through his tears, "Okay, I'll keep it down."

The paramedics arrived shortly after. They had Keith strapped down to the backboard, neck carefully braced, oxygen mask on and an IV going in minutes. It was all a blur to Shiro. He sat back and watched. Keith answered the paramedics questions, but Shiro had no idea what he was saying. Somehow suddenly someone was kneeling in front of him. He hadn't even seen them coming.

"Sir, would you like to ride with us?" The paramedic was looking at him strangely. "Sir, are you okay?"

Shiro nodded. The paramedic helped him up and he found his knees strangely weak.

"Okay. Hey Chet, can you bring the extra tank off of the truck?" The paramedic put Shiro's arm over his shoulder and started walking him out the door. Keith was being carried out on the backboard by a paramedic and a firefighter. Other men were putting out the remaining flames. He was assisted into the back of the ambulance and sat on a bench next to Keith. A firefighter brought an oxygen tank and Shiro felt the mask being fitted over his face.

"Just breath deep. You got a little smoke in there." The other paramedic, Gage according to his uniform, patted him on the back.

"Is he okay?" Shiro moved the oxygen mask to ask and the paramedic put it back.

"Hey, leave that on. We're going to get you both to the hospital and the docs will get him checked out for you. Is he family?"

"My brother."

"Okay, we're going to take good care of your brother. You just lean back and breath."

****

"Pidge, tell Coran we need the pod ready."

"The…shit!, Adam are you okay?" Pidge's brain nearly froze.

"I'm fine." Adam answered flatly.

"OH…is he, I mean,…" Pidge's voice trembled with fear.

"It's bad Pidge, I don't know, that's why we need the pod." Adam answered with regret.

"Pod, done. We'll be ready." Pidge responded firmly.

"CORAN!" Pidge yelled into the communicator.

"I could have heard you without the com system, Miss Pidge." Coran answered her with concern.

"Adam says he needs the pod ready. Lance is hurt bad." Pidge delivered the message, she seemed to be out of breath. "I'm running down there to help you."

"No worries, we'll have it up and ready to heal him in a blink." Coran inwardly cringed. They did not activate the pod unless they had to, there simply wasn't that much of the required fuel left to run it. They also did not put people in the pod that did not know all of their secrets. The only reason Adam would ask for it is if he thought the boy was dying.

Adam arrived on the bike. He had Lance held against him and drove through the emergency entrance that opened straight into the hospital area. He picked Lance up and left the bike in the middle of the floor and the drone hovering above them. He carried Lance in his arms into the emergency room where Coran waited. There was a hospital bed ready. Pidge was hovering nearby and paled at the sight of her new friend.

"Pidge, take care of the bike and drone." Adam ordered and then softened at her stricken look. "Please Pidge, we need to wrestle him into a suit."

"Okay, but I'm coming back." She ducked out as Coran was activating the scanner. Pidge got to the bike and began walking it back to the garage. The drone followed obediently when she whistled for him. Rover 3.0 was pretty advanced even for the stuff she usually worked on. Altean technology was way awesome.

She sniffled a little as she put the bike back into it's place. She felt guilty for letting Lance take it out. He wouldn't have gotten hurt if he'd stayed here. She didn't know him that well, but he reminded her so much of Matt that she felt like she did know him already. They had a similar kind of goofy humor and just a way of being happy even when things sucked. She wondered if Matt would still be like that when she got him back. She sighed and kissed her finger before touching it against her brother's and father's picture that was hanging over her work area in the garage.

She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and turned to head back to the medical wing. She was going to get her Dad and Matt back. Lance was going to be okay. It was all going to work out somehow. She had to believe that.

When she got back Lance was dressed in a white body suit and laying back in the pod leaned out from its place in the wall. He looked so pale and still, frozen in the alien technology that could cure almost anything, almost. Pidge frowned as she glanced at Adam still in the White Lion suit.

"Coran?" She asked.

"He will be fully healed. It will take about 48 hours." Coran answered a hand resting briefly on the surface of the pod before turning back to her. "I do not believe anything short of the pod would have been able to save him."

"What happened?" Pidge turned to Adam.

"I don't know. I found him with Keith in the remains of that store they went into. They both most have been near the bomb when it went off. Keith was conscious. He tried to arrest me." Adam's mouth gave a little twitch at that.

"Keith's hurt, too?" Pidge gaped at Adam. "Why didn't you bring him here?"

"Shiro was coming, there were paramedics. Keith wasn't hurt as bad." Adam frowned at her. "I wouldn't have left him if I didn't think he was going to be okay."

"You still should have brought him here. Coran could have fixed him up way faster then a hospital." Pidge wasn't happy. Adam was too dismissive of this.

"And what, have Shiro find an empty building and not know where Keith was?!" Adam raised his voice defensively.

"Well that wouldn't be a problem if you would just tell him the truth!" Pidge covered her mouth after the words came out, but it was too late. She'd said it.

Adam stared at her, as he turned she thought she saw a tear in his eye, "You know why I can't do that."

"I know why you say you can't." Pidge offered softly and placed her hand on his arm. "I think you are wrong."

Adam nodded tightly. She wasn't the only one. The phone in his pocket began to ring playing…the batman theme song the one from the really old, really cheesy TV show.  
"Pidge." Adam had to smile despite the situation. Pidge loved changing his ringtone to that. She snorted and went to hug Coran as he answered the phone. "Adam West."

"Adam." Shiro sounded so lost on the phone Adam was sure his heart broke into a million pieces.

"Kashi? What's wrong?" Adam hated himself for feigning surprise.

"It's Keith. He's in the hospital. I just thought you'd want to know." Shiro seemed to pull himself together some.

"Is he going to be okay?" Adam asked wondering if he had made a mistake like Pidge said.

"Yeah. The docs think so, they have him on a ventilator. They said something about bruising his lungs, but that it was mild. They have some more tests and stuff to check for other injuries and it's all a little overwhelming. I just. I guess there just wasn't anyone else to call." Shiro's voice caught at the end.

"I'm glad you called. I'll be right there. Which hospital?" Adam asked.

"Mount Sinai."

***

Hunk was worried and when he was worried he baked. He made chocolate chip cookies and then found that it made him even more worried, because Lance usually ate the first dozen. He missed his friend. Lance's family was great and they were so accepting of him and treated him like one of theirs, but he wasn't and he knew it. He felt alone. Was he an orphan? He stopped and stared at the chocolate chip cookies, the ones his mom had taught him to make.

He didn't even realize he was crying until the drops hit the cookie.

"¿Qué pasa?" A small voice asked. Nadia was standing beside him. She wore a pale pink nightgown and bunny slippers. Lance had bought her those bunny slippers for her last birthday.

"Nothing's wrong.' Hunk tried to give her a smile, but it must have fallen short because she frowned.

"You made cookies, Tio Hunk." She said as if it answered her question.

"Do you want one?" He offered.

"No. It's after bedtime, Mama would not like that. But you only make cookies at night when you are sad. Tio Lance said so." She folded her little arms across her chest and tapped her foot.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you sad too." Hunk brushed down some of her wild hair that had clearly been under blankets only moments before.

"I wish everyone would stop going away." She said with a sad little sigh before latching herself to his side.

"Me too." Hunk lifted her up in his arms and carried her back to her bed. He saw Luis peak out of his room and give Hunk a nod when he could tell the situation was well in hand. He tucked the old green and blue quilt around her and kissed her forehead. "You know, Nadia, as long as we keep remembering them, then they aren't as far away. They are right here." He put his hand over his heart.

Nadia reached up her hand and placed it over his, her little voice whispered quietly, "Goodnight Abuelo and Abuela. Goodnight Tio Lance."


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First - Sorry for the delay - minor obsession with this really great Harry Potter fic on Fanfiction.net and could not write until I finished it :). If you are a Ron fan I totally recommend it. - Stay Standing by Windschild8178.
> 
> Second on with the story - So Haggar is a crazy bitch in this fic...fair warning her section is also a bit gross/gory (at least for me :) )

"Kashi?" Adam rolled into Keith's room. Shiro was sitting near the head of the bed. He was holding Keith's hand. Keith was still and pale a ventilator hooked to a face mask pushing extra oxygen into his bruised lungs.

"Adam." Shiro patted Keith's hand and leaned back a little. "Come in."

"How is he?" Adam asked, guilt pinging against his heart for not offering the advanced medical treatments he knew were available.

"He's going to be fine. Three days with the breathing help. He has some pretty severe bruising on his chest, and a cut at his hairline, but he was really lucky. He's going to make a full recovery. The doctors said he could leave the hospital in three days if his lungs have improved and then another week of light activity, followed by three more weeks off work, but if all goes well, he'll be back to full in a month or so. They just gave him something to help him sleep." Shiro stared down at Keith's hand as he spoke. 

"How are you?" Adam asked moving closer until he could put a hand on Shiro's shoulder.

Shiro looked over at him. He took one shaking breath and wrapped his arms around Adam. 

"That good?" Adam offered rubbing circles on Shiro's back. It felt so right and comfortable to have him in his arms again. He had missed this - he had missed him - and even if the circumstances sucked he didn't regret this moment.

Shiro chuckled wetly into his shoulder, "I'm a mess. I missed you."

"I missed you too." Adam whispered into his hair before planting a kiss on top of his head. "Anything you need, you got it, okay?" Shiro nodded his head. "And when this is over, when Keith is better, I think maybe we should talk."

"I think I would like that." Shiro leaned against Adam. Adam had told him once he could play Superman all he wanted at the station or wherever, but when he was with him he didn't have to be anyone other than Clark Kent. Shiro had laughed and called him a geek, but he got it. When they were together acts and walls and what you are supposed to be or do didn't matter - when they were together he could just be him. 

***

"Janko?" Prorak spoke into his phone. "I saw. Yes. I agree now is the time to act. The trail has been laid. No it won't happen soon you idiot. If he found out it was us we'd both be dead. Of course, you can let Zarkon know that the damage control is complete. Nothing from the warehouse will lead back to him. We had to cut ties to one of the manufacturing facilities and a second warehouse, but the second warehouse has been emptied already and a new site procured. No the manufacturing location has a solid front, cheap cell phones. We will likely lose about fifty or so workers to deportation. It's not my job to bring in the pathetic excuses for life that work there, if you want to know about that contact Sendak. Right, that's what I thought."

Prorak hung up the phone and massaged his temples. Talking with Janko almost guaranteed the onset of horrible headache. The man was simply pathetic in ways he could hardly associate with a true Galra. Sendak's work last night had been sloppy. Zarkon would not be pleased, but Sendak was still one of his favorites and the boss wasn't likely to cut ties just yet. Most likely Sendak would get one more chance. Prorak just needed to be sure the pieces were in place to make sure it was Sendak's last chance.

It wasn't much just a little lead. A small clue that would connect Haxus to the illegals at the manufacturing site. Not the entire operation, just a small group. Not a direct lead to Sendak, just the appearance his lieutenant had been sloppy. The import of illegals for factory work was really not that profitable and honestly Prorak didn't believe viable for the long term. Laws were changing and it was simply becoming more trouble than it was worth. Human trafficking for other purposes was much deeper underground, much easier to control and Prorak thought much more profitable. He thought they would have cut their losses with the factories long ago if they didn't make such good fronts for other materials being manufactured. Materials that no one but the Galra new about. Materials that were critical for Zarkon's end game. 

However Prorak had a plan for that too. Ylvik was setting up some deals in South America even now. They would have complete autonomy, nonextradition countries, and anonymity. The factories down there could operate without worry about nosy government officials or ICE raids or anything else. No one would be there to ask questions about what happened to this worker or that. The humans were disposable. There were always more to take their place. When Sendak was out of the way Prorak would present his new ideas and he and Ylvik would move up in the organization, Prorak moving to a more global role and Ylvik taking over in Miami. At least that was his plan. Janko still thought he was getting something out of the deal too.

"Sir?" His office assistant opened the door slightly. "Do you need anything before I leave for the day?"

"No. Thank you, Vrek."

"Don't forget, you have a treatment scheduled for 8 am tomorrow, sir." Vrek bowed at the waist and moved out of the office. He frowned slightly as he turned away where Prorak could not see his face. He knew the cost of the treatments keeping the generals alive all of these years. While humans weren't as advanced as Galra, he could not excuse the continued loss of sentient life. His fingers itched to pull the blade from his sleeve and drive it into the old monster, but now was not the time and that was not his mission. He patted the drive hidden in the hem of his shirt. Another set of downloaded files to send to headquarters. He would be a part of taking down Zarkon from the inside. As much as he wanted to stop Zarkon he would also not risk exposing all Galra. He'd seen enough to know the reaction of the people of earth to finding aliens had been living among them for years was not likely to be positive. 

Vrek sighed as he walked down the sidewalk to the bus stop where the drop was. He sat on the bench and slipped the tiny drive into a crack in the seat. He waited patiently for the bus. When it came he stepped inside. From the window he saw what appeared to the untrained observer a homeless man coming up to lay on the bench for the night, but he recognized Antok's build. It was hard to hide all of that muscle mass. Though it certainly made him look like a homeless guy to be avoided. Vrek leaned back into his seat and forced himself to relax. He'd been under for nearly three years with Prorak and had finally gotten to a level to provide real information not just pieces. He wasn't sure what Kollivan would do with the knowledge that Prorak and Janko were plotting against Sendak. It didn't matter that was above his pay grade anyway; his job was just to complete the mission whatever it may be.

***

Long nails traced across chocolate skin. Her new pet was very strong. She could feel it's muscles straining to break free from the table, to pull away from her touch. She smiled. She liked it when they had a little fight left in them. Her pointed teeth gleamed in the surgical lights shining down on the man strapped to her operating table. His dark eyes followed her as she moved down to his leg. It was mangled and had been left to fester for days. The stench of infection along with the ooze of pus would put most people off, but she only found it another fascinating piece of the project in front of her. She reached out her hand and squeezed to watch more fluid and pus mix with blood and run down the leg. The man screamed. She smiled. She did it again and he screamed even louder. Her heart beat in her chest feeling alive.

"Mistress?" A man walked into her room. She glared at him. He was wearing a guards uniform and seemed nervous. He probably should be nervous. She was considering killing him for interrupting her fun.

"Speak." She hissed at him.

"I was sent to bring you an update. The new arm upgrade performed very well in the arena. Three victories today." His eyes flittered about the room never resting on her. She felt his fear. His cowardice left a foul taste in her mouth.

"Nothing like my champion." She dismissed the news. "He was more, better. I would like to upgrade his arm." She spoke the last part with something like wistful longing as she moved across the room. She casually stopped in front of the guard. He still would not look at her.

"Of course, if you don't need anything else, Mistress, I will go." He started to reach for the door behind him, still not meeting her eyes.

"You are weak and unworthy." She spat as she drove a dagger into his throat before he could even react. "Only the strong deserve to serve the Galra." She watched with curious eyes as he fell back clutching as his throat, blood bubbling around the wound and pouring out of his mouth. The man on the table was screaming in anger again. He was not weak. She smiled again. Reaching down she pulled the dagger from the still twitching body and wiped it off in his hair.

She moved back to her new project, "Don't worry. I have something better in mind for you. You have won many matches in the arena and have caught my eye. I will make you my new champion. I have been practicing just for you and I have everything perfected. The last three survived the procedure and none of them were as strong as you." Her nails roamed across his chest and abs, tracing each defined muscle. He squirmed and screamed angrily through the gag again.

"What is it they call you in the arena? Mountain?" She took her dagger and sliced through the gag nicking his check in the process.

"Let me go, you witch!" He growled in a deep voice.

"Oh now, don't be so hasty. We haven't even started the procedure, Mountain. If I let you go now the infection will kill you." She gestured to his leg. "I'm going to make it all better." 

"My name's not Mountain." He answered in defiance, pressing his lips thin.

She ducked her head slightly and dug her nails into his chest, blood welling up at the tips. "Your name is not your choice, but mine. You are Mountain." She leaned closer and licked the blood from his chest.

"Get off me, you foul hag! My name is Loto Garrett!" He strained against the bonds.

"YOUR. NAME. IS. MOUNTAIN." She demanded before driving her dagger straight into the infected wound in his leg. He screamed long and loud. Tears ran down his face. She walked over and patted his head before wiping his tears with the sleeve of her white doctors coat that was already splattered with blood.

"Now that we have that established I can begin." She turned and pulled a saw from the table behind her. "Of course, now you don't get the anesthesia I had planned. I hope you are as strong as I believe you are." A kind of blissful joy filled her heart at his whimpering screams when she began to saw into his right thigh. She knew just what to do, after 37 trial runs she had nearly perfected this part.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could not remember Hunk's Dad having an official name, so I picked one. Loto means heart :)


	17. Chapter 17

Pidge was sitting with her legs folded under her and a laptop resting on them. She was working on a new upgrade for the White Lion suit. Working with the Altean technology was fascinating and incorporating her own ideas into the suit was exhilarating. She wasn't getting very far today though, because every few minutes her eyes drifted up to the boy floating in the tube in front of her. She wanted him to hurry up and get out of there. The "adults" and she rolled her eyes at the word, had decided they would have to read Lance into the entire situation when he got out. She was finally going to have another person to talk to about this whole crazy world she found herself in. Another person who might appreciate how she was feeling, because no matter how good the adults were at trying to understand they just didn't.

She focused back on the computer. She was working on a program to incorporate a cloaking technology that she used on the Rovers into the suit. It should make Adam nearly invisible. It would come in very handy. The suit was a thing of beauty. She still hadn't completely wrapped her head around the power source or how it was so adaptable to the wearer…or why it only worked for Adam. Apparently Allura and Coran had each tried to use the suit in the past and it had failed to respond to them at all. It was almost magical it was so far over even her head. She was however learning more and more each day. There were databases full of information to read through, and gadgets to tinker with, and with almost unlimited funds and resources - it was a dream. Of course the downside to the dream was that as awesome as the good guys were the bad guys were just as bad. She wouldn't be here if Matt and her dad hadn't been taken, and she would give up technology and live in a hut if it meant she could have them back.

She glanced back at her floating friend…friend, well he'd said they'd be friends. She didn't really have any of those other than Keith and that relationship had been strained almost to the point of breaking. She remembered the times when Shiro, Adam and Keith would come to family meals at their old home. Dad and Mom and Matt and all of them gathered around the big dining room table. It had been so normal - so safe. And then it had all imploded. Matt, Shiro, and her dad had all disappeared one night from the police lab were Matt worked. Keith and Adam had been nuts trying to find them and she had to admit to herself so had she. They all went different directions. Adam went after the Galra through legal means and paper trails. Pidge hacked every database that might contain anything that could help her. Keith, well she wasn't sure what all Keith had gotten in to. He was pretty hush about it and it was probably not any more legal than what she had been doing. He'd been reprimanded at work several times, suspended twice and was likely on his way to being fired when they got Shiro back. Pidge had gotten caught hacking the FBI and put on probation. And Adam, well Adam had found the Alteans.

She wasn't sure exactly how Adam got onto their trail. She only knows that he had somehow made a connection between them and the Galra and that his pursuit had drawn their attention. There were so many loose ends that Adam had been unwilling to trust them until he'd been given the entire story. It was sometime during that discussion that they had discovered the suit responded to him. Provided with a tool and allies to help fight the Galra and track down Shiro, Adam had jumped at the chance. He, of course, hadn't told the rest of them right away.

Pidge put a tracker on him one day. His behavior had become so secretive and suspicious, even worse than Keith, that she had been afraid for him. She had almost pissed herself when she had walked around a corner expecting to find him and instead coming face to face with the White Lion. Of course, she will swear to this day that Adam screamed louder than she did.

"Miss Pidge, you are as persistent as a Galmakian Terror Dog." Coran chuckled as he stepped into the infirmary.

"I see you've given up on hiding your crazy in front of Lance." Pidge smiled.

"I am not crazy. I am well versed in knowledge you do not yet posses. Also, he is still unconscious. Though I suppose I will be explaining to him soon enough and then I can share my wealth of experience with him as well. It is challenging to hold back all of the valuable information that wants to pour forth from my very being." Coran gestured broadly as he spun about the room, picking up stuff and getting ready for Lance to be released from the pod.

"How do you think he will take it?" Pidge asked.

"How do you think?" Coran countered.

"I'm honestly not sure, he took the whole White Lion thing pretty good, but then he'd at least heard of him before and aliens is pretty out there for most earthlings." Pidge answered after pausing for only a moment. She had been thinking about this for awhile after all Lance had been in the pod for three days.

"I believe he has a good soul and I for one am looking forward to being honest with him." Coran found the hardest part of his existence on this world was the constant need for secrecy and deception. It was not a part of his nature and it made him sad to have to practice it so frequently.

"I think he's going to be okay too." Pidge smiled back at Coran.

"Well, help me finishing prepping what we need here if you would, Miss Pidge. If you could take these blankets to the warmer. I will prepare an IV with fluids and nutrition, three days is a long time in the pod and it does not provide enough to keep a human from being dehydrated." Coran bustled about pulled out the tools he needed and the kit for the IV.

"Maybe I should work on that, surely we can adjust it to a proper level." Pidge offered.

"Maybe so, but as you know we have limited supply of the required energy and cannot use it for experimentation." Coran paused twirling his moustache. "Perhaps a better use of your time would be to find an alternative source of energy? Something that would allow us to use the pod more freely."

"That is a great idea." Pidge smiled and hummed to herself as she carried the blankets off to the warmer, her mind already swirling with ideas and experiments.

***

"Keith, would you please sit down." Shiro sighed in exasperation.

"Shiro, I'm bored." Keith rasped, flopping back down on the couch.

Shiro cringed at the damaged voice. The doctors said it was from the smoke inhalation and that it would be back to normal in a few days. Keith had only gotten home this morning and already he was trying to escape. He'd asked to go for a walk, he'd offered to take out the trash, and just now he'd said he was going to go do laundry.

He was supposed to be taking it easy, on bed rest. It was the terms of him being released. Keith had turned those eyes on him and begged. Shiro should have known better, but he knew Keith hated hospitals and he had promised to follow the doctors orders.

"Keith, I swear if you get up again for anything other than the bathroom I am going to check you back in to the hospital!" Shiro snapped as he saw Keith start to get up again.  
"I am going to the bathroom." Keith rolled his eyes and muttered as he walked down the hall, "…be bringing me a damn chamberpot next…"

"Stop muttering!"

"Yes, MOM!" Keith tried to yell and ended up coughing with his arms wrapped around his middle.

"Keith, damnit." Shiro walked over to him. "Do you need the inhaler?"

Keith nodded eyes watering bent in the middle trying to breath.

"Okay." Shiro moved back into the living room and fished through the pharmacy bag for his inhaler. "Here."

Keith, took a hit from the inhaler and after a few moments his breathing slowed and he was able to stand again. Keith handed the inhaler back to Shiro with an embarrassed smile headed back to his original destination.

Shiro sighed and put the inhaler back next to the couch where he had set up a place for Keith to camp out. He had blankets and pillows on the couch, a low table on one side and the end table and lamp at the other. He'd placed some magazines Keith liked on the end table, an old game system, and a stack of movies he had rented. It hit him then…he was totally mom.

Keith sat on the edge of the tub with his phone in his hands texting.

**PPPPPPIIIIDDDGGGE!**

**?**

**I wonder how I didn't notice the smoke hanging around you.**

**r u on the good drugs?**

**Liar, Liar, pants on fire…**

**?**

**I know. And I know that you know.**

**Think u need different drugs is Shiro there r u ok**

**Now you know that I know that you know and that I know.**

**OMG what is wrong with u**

**Can't say on the phone.**

**…**

**Just know that I know.**

**I can't even**

Satisfied that he'd tormented her enough for now, after all she had known who the White Lion was the whole time, and hadn't told him. She deserved much more. The next call was going to be harder and he had been avoiding making it all day. Of course, then we he'd decided to make it he hadn't been able to get away from Shiro in order to have the conversation.

********

"Keith?" The familiar voice asked.

********

"Adam. You have to tell him. If you don't I will."

********

"Tell him what, Keith are you okay?"

********

"I know who you are, okay, I know and if you don't tell him then I'm going to because he deserves the truth." Keith bit out angrily.

********

"Keith, I don't..."

********

"Don't deny it. You called him Kashi. You are the only one who does that." Keith snarled.

********

A deep sigh, and then "It's not that simple, but you're right he does deserve the truth and I've already agreed to talk with him when you are feeling better." Adam offered his tone regretful.

********

"I'm better. Tell him today." Keith wasn't big on words or waiting.

********

"Not today, Keith you just got home. He's already overwhelmed. How about you both come over to Allura's tomorrow? For dinner. I will talk with him after and I can assure you on that other matter at the same time." Adam was sure Keith would want to see for himself that Lance was okay.

********

"You'll call Shiro and ask him?"

********

"Yes, I'll do it as soon as you hang up. I'm sure he's wondering why you are talking to yourself in the bathroom." Adam replied with a smile in his tone.

********

"How do you know where I am?" Keith looked around for a camera, there wasn't a window in this room.

********

"It echoes in there. Get some rest Keith, you still don't sound great." Adam sounded genuinely concerned and for a moment Keith remembered what it was like when he considered him like a second older brother.

********

"I will and thanks." Keith offered.

********

"Don't thank me. I've made a mess of this and I need to fix it. I'm just glad I'm getting the chance."

********


	18. Chapter 18

Lance was cold. It was the first thing he registered. He felt arms around him and felt himself being lifted and laid onto a flat surface. His fuzzy brain registered that they felt strong and safe. A warm soft something was wrapped around him. He leaned into it so that his cheek was pressed into the warmth. A soft chuckle spread around him and he felt hands on his arm.

"Just a pinch here, I need to get you on an IV, okay?"

Lance just hummed. He wasn't really sure what was going on. He felt fuzzy, tired.

"It's normal to be tired. You're body needs fluid and nutrients."

Lance wondered if he'd said any of that out loud or the floating voice in his head was reading his mind. A giggle echoed somewhere also in the clouds around him.

"Lance, it's just me, Pidge." Her voice sounded amused and he assumed he'd at least said some things out loud.

"Pidge?" He managed to croak. He was feeling a little clearer. He couldn't remember why he was here or what was going on exactly. "What?"

He felt a pinch in his arm and something being taped to him, "Ow."

"Sorry about that, young sir."

Lance's brain supplied a name, Coran.

"You'll need to sleep. You're body needs rest." Coran's hand brushed his bangs back from his forehead. "Are you in any pain?"

"Cold." Lance murmured.

He felt hands and warmth as another blanket was added over him. It felt so nice Lance sighed and his eyes drifted closed.

"Is he asleep?" Pidge asked poking at the pile of blankets that covered Lance.

"Yes, and stop that." Coran swatted at her hand. "He'll sleep for awhile. I'll need to change the IV solutions in an hour. Would you mind sitting with him? He shouldn't wake up, but just in case. I'm afraid he'll be confused and upset when he wakes up."

"I can." Pidge pulled a chair up to the side of Lance's bed. She wrapped her hand around his. His skin felt cold, but she knew it was a side effect from the pod. She'd seen Adam come out in a similar condition before.

She rubbed her thumb on the back of his hand warming the flesh underneath. His hand wasn't exactly soft, but not calloused either. Her own hands had callouses and burns from her projects and writing. He had a little scar on the back off his wrist and she wondered what it was from. She wanted to know more about him. She knew he liked to jump on beds, obviously cared about how he looked, he was smarter than he gave himself credit for, he cared about people and doing the right thing, and he was brave. She wanted to know if he had the chicken pox when he was a kid, what his favorite ice cream flavor was, did he have a favorite TV show, or what kind of music did he like?

Pidge smiled to herself. She found she was looking forward to finding out. She wasn't particularly good with people. She intended to intimidate or put off people her own age and older people tended to find her arrogant or obnoxious. She was arrogant and obnoxious to some of them, she thought with a slightly wicked smile, some of them deserved it.

Speaking of deserving, arrogant and obnoxious. She pulled her phone from her pocket. She had set it up to text Keith every hour with four texts.

What

Do

You

KNOW

The first time he sent back a gif of some guy with his pants on fire, the second Pinocchio, and the third a pic of him frowning at her. The problem was she knew too many secrets and she wasn't sure which one he had figured out and if she gave away that there was more than one…well Keith was relentless. He would manage to pry them all out of her eventually.

***

Adam replayed Allura's words in his mind.

"You know how I feel about this, Adam. If you trust them, then I do. I want this for you. It was not right to give up on something so important. Please, tell them everything. No more hiding from the people that love you." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. She had the most beautiful soul. He felt warmed again just thinking about it. She was offering her life, everything she cared about and putting it in his hands. She trusted him that much. And as he thought about it, he knew he trusted Kashi that much and Keith. They had been his family, they were his family and it was time to get his family back.

He moved into the infirmary area. Pidge was sitting beside Lance staring at her phone. He was lying in the bed with a near mountain of blankets piled on top of him and an IV snaking to his arm. There were two bags hung up dripping fluid and needed nutrients into his body.

"How is he?" Adam whispered.

"Okay. Coran said he'd sleep for awhile. His hands are getting warmer." Pidge looked up from her phone with a frown.

Adam wheeled over and smiled sadly at the boy. Here he'd been worrying about risking his family, but what was he doing to this kid. He was just throwing him into the middle of a war, of course then the kid took it a step further. He didn't really need to be thrown; he'd jumped in with both feet.

Adam shook his head. He'd had his eye on Lance since he'd gotten the story about him standing up for the homeless guy. That kind of thing took guts and a willingness to do the right thing. He'd been scouting the local delivery boys, looking for someone to be an inside man, someone to feed him info on the package routes on delivery schedules and such. He'd made his decision to recruit him when he saw how he handled Sendak, but then that brute had escalated to the point he was afraid he was going to kill the kid. The police and the deportation had thrown his original plan for a loop, but he recovered quickly. Being a lawyer had certainly taught him to think on his feet, figuratively anyway.

He wasn't so cold to not feel some guilt for his plans for Lance. He know the danger the kid would be facing was a lot more than he had been before, but he needed help and what they were fighting for was important. Now that he was going to be read into the entire story his risk would be even higher. Adam had already decided to offer him an out when he had the truth. He would give him the option and let the kid decide. Somehow he didn't have any doubts what he would choose.

He turned to find Pidge frowning at her phone again.

"What's wrong?" He looked over and noticed the way her hands clutched at the phone.

"Keith. I. He knows something, but I don't know what." Pidge growled.

"That's what I came down to talk with you about." Adam gave a knowing grin. Keith was no doubt tormenting his friend for not telling him. It didn't surprise him for Keith to assume Pidge would already know. "Keith knows."

"KNOWS WHAT?!" Pidge practically shrieked and Adam had to lean back.

"Wow, okay, he's really getting to you, huh?" Adam patted her knee and she glared at him. "He figured out I'm the White Lion."

"Oh." Pidge frowned looking at her phone as if she could see through it to Keith. "Is he okay? What did he say? What are you gong to do?"

"He's mad. He said I need to tell Shiro. I'm going to." Adam ticked off three fingers as he answered.

"You're going to tell Shiro? When? How much?" She looked up to him with a strange hope in her eyes.

"I'm going to invite them to dinner tonight. I've already talked with Allura and Coran and we'll tell them everything. Lance should be up by then as well." Adam took a deep breath, to be honest the idea of telling them was scarier than fighting Zarkon.

Pidge let out what could only be described as a squeal and throw her arms around him, practically landing in his lap. He wrapped her in his arms and laughed.

"I take it you approve?" His amused tone was light and her pleased laugh against his shoulder helped to lighten his heart.

***

"RRRRRRRIIIIZZZAAVVVIII!" James was going to strangle the laughing officer if he caught her. For the third day in a row she'd put a mannequin leg in his car. This time it was buckled into the back seat. Where was she getting these damn things? Her and Kinkade were on the other side of the parking lot. Ryan had his phone out filming. The only good thing about this was that Ina was giggling like a school girl next to him and she hardly ever laughed.

This case had them all on edge. It was gruesome for one thing, but for another they were all smart enough to realize who they were going up against. It was well known Keith blamed the Captain's disappearance on the Galra. He'd been gone for a year and came back with obvious scars and a metal arm. It was nightmare worthy material to be sure.

"Would you two idiots get over here?" James waved them over to the car. "We need a night out."

"No shit, we need a night out!" Rizavi bounced over to the car. Her eyes still dancing with laughter. "Three times in a row and you still screamed." She patted James on the cheek.

"Be nice, Nadia." Ryan scolded, though he was also still smiling.

"I am nice. I am helping him overcome this. I mean, Griff is a leg man, he can't continue with this phobia It will destroy his sex life." Nadia laughed and pulled open the back door of the car.

"My sex life if not your business." James blushed to his hairline.

"Besides that, it's fine." Ina added in her usual flat tone.

Nadia blinked a couple of times before laughing loudly, "Get in here Ryan, I'm ready to party till the sun comes up."

"Good thing I got us tomorrow off then." James answered with a grin.

"You..really?" Nadia grabbed him in a hug from behind. "I knew I liked you for a reason."

"Not as much as you like me I hope." Ryan asked with a pout.

"Of course not, you're my brother…my sister…and sometimes my overprotective best bud all wrapped up in one gorgeous package." Nadia flung herself into his arms in the back seat as he climbed in.

"And don't you forget it." He smiled down at her antics and kissed her forehead.

James huffed a small laugh. They weren't usually this over the top. He knew they just needed a break. Rizavi had found another crate of gruesome in the warehouse that contained what looked like mummies. Ina and Kincade had been beating their heads against walls of false leads and fake corporations to try to find a name, a person, anything actually attached to the damn warehouse. He had been finishing interviews. There was only one left to go and he was still unconscious. Apparently the doctors weren't sure if he was going to live yet or not.

The best news they had gotten was that one of the fighters from the cage was actually one of the missing persons Detective Kogane had been working to find. It didn't exactly put everything together, but it least made them feel like they were working on the same puzzle not three different ones. James was almost looking forward to letting Kogane know.

He and Keith had butted heads hard in the police academy. James had felt Keith had gotten in when he didn't deserve to be there because of his rich dad. He had more of the story now and felt like a jerk for the way he had acted. Of course, there was absolutely no way he was ever going to admit that to Kogane, but well it was true. Over the last couple of years he'd really come to respect the detective. He was good, like crazy good, and he'd come through a lot. He knew how much Shiro meant to Keith. He knew what it was like to lose people you cared about. Keith had gone through hell and came out the other side an even better detective. That more than anything had earned James's respect.

"James, the parking lot is lovely, but perhaps we should go?" Ina asked gently laying a hand on his knee.

He blinked over at her and gave her a smile. Sometimes he was pretty sure she could read his mind. He nodded and pulled out of the parking lot heading out to Ina's favorite dance club. They all failed to notice the car that pulled out three blocks back and slide into traffic behind them.


	19. Chapter 19

Adam waited in the foyer nervously fidgeting with his tie.

"You look lovely, stop fussing." Allura swatted his hand down.

"Allura." Adam frowned.

"Well, if you are going to act like a nervous teenager then that's how I'll treat you." She offered with a smug grin.

"How can you not be nervous, this is kind of a big deal, revealing all of your secrets to two, no three people and hoping they all just decide to join us?" Adam growled his nerves making him cranky.

"I'm not in the least bit nervous. Shiro and Keith are hardly strangers to you or Pidge or Coleen and you've all vouched for them. Lance already knew part of the secret and has certainly gone out of his way to impress already. He has stood up to Iverson, the press, the police, Sendak, been tortured, and then injured went out to save a bus full of strangers. He rather reminds me of you." She patted his head in a somewhat condescending manner.

Adam was about to snarl back a response when the com from the gate activated and he could hear Shiro's voice talking with Coran.

"Oh, my god, he is going to hate me. He should hate me. I lied to him." Adam's hands gripped the arms of his chair so hard his knuckles were white.

"Adam." Allura knelt beside him and looked into his eyes. "You were trying to protect him. I think if anyone can understand that it will be Shiro, don't you?"

Adam nodded. She was right. Shiro was the world's most overprotective boyfriend, brother, son, boss, like he was trying to be everyone's dad.

Allura smiled softly. She couldn't wait to officially meet these two. She felt like she already knew them, over the last year Adam had told her so much about them. It was clear how much he loved and cherished them both.

Coran looked back at the two of them as he went to open the door. He gestured grandly and Shiro and Keith walked through. Shiro was wearing one of his black suits with a red shirt and a black and white tie. Keith had on dark slacks and a button down red shirt. He was still on oxygen and dragging the small tank behind him. His face was pale and the hand resting on Shiro's shoulder trembled slightly.

"Welcome." Coran smiled broadly.

Keith glared at him, glared at Allura, and glared at Adam. These people were all liars and hiding things. These people had been party to hurting Shiro. He knew how much the break up had devastated his brother and he was not about to let them off the hook and just play nice.

"Thank you." Shiro smiled and shook Coran's hand. Adam rolled over to make introductions.

"Shiro, Keith, this is Coran and this lovely lady is Allura." Allura came and Shiro took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it softly. She blushed and laughed a soft silky sound. Keith glared some more. "Allura, Coran, this romantic is Shiro and his brother Keith."

Coran came around and grabbed Keith's hand shaking it. Keith looked shocked. Generally his glares were enough to keep people further away. Apparently they had little to no effect on the mustached man.

"So nice to meet you both." Coran smiled so big his mustache seemed to curve up on the ends.

"It is lovely to meet you." Allura echoed. "Adam has told us so much about you both."

"Has he?" Shiro turned appraising eyes to Adam. He still wasn't sure why he was here or what was going on. Keith was clearly still upset, but had seemed eager to come when he told him of the invite. He had half been expecting something after Adam mentioned talking at the hospital, but this wasn't really what he'd envisioned. Adam blushed, actually blushed and Shiro felt his smile grow. Well, maybe this wasn't what he'd expected, but that didn't mean it was going to turn out bad. "And what exactly has he been telling?"

"Oh all sorts of things." Allura grinned devilishly.

"Oh, tell me more." Shiro held out his arm for her and she linked hers with his.

"Well…"

"Allura!" Adam whined as the moved from the foyer toward the dining room.

"Keith!" Keith turned as Pidge bounded from down a hallway. She stopped short of pouncing on him, wide eyes taking in the pale skin and oxygen.  
"How are you?" She reached out a hand almost like she was afraid to touch him.

Keith swatted her hand down and pulled her into a hug, "I'm fine." His voice was still rough. "Just some smoke and stuff. Takes time to get healed up." Pidge stiffened in his arms.

"I'm sorry." She murmured.

"For what? You didn't blow me up, did you? At least not this time?" He joked.

"I did not blow you up last time, there was an unfortunate exothermic reaction and you were a little closer than advisable, besides that just singed your eyebrows, it didn't put you in the hospital." Pidge huffed. "And no, but I'm still sorry, for everything."

"So you do know?" Keith frowned.

"You said you knew I knew!" Pidge snapped.

"Well, I made an educated guess. You know about Adam then, that he's the, you know?" Keith asked with narrowed eyes.

"I know more than that, and soon so will you." Pidge gave him a soft smile. "I've been wanting to tell you for so long. I am so glad you are here." She gave him a hug.

"What more? What else is there?" Keith's eyes widened and he broke off into a cough that sounded painful.

"Well, you know all those conspiracy theories and posters and shit you have all over your room? Like the one with the alien spaceship that says 'Believe'?" She asked with a wicked smile.

"Oh," Keith frowned, "Wait? What?"

"Be patient, Keith. You'll find out." Pidge patted his arm.

"Great now you sound like Shiro. Patience yields focus, Keith." Keith mocked and Pidge cackled.

"Are you two coming?" Coleen walked in from the dining room to find them.

"Sure, Mrs. Holt." Keith managed to look at least a little embarrassed.

"Sorry, Mom, I have to go get Lance. I'll be there soon?" She didn't look the least sorry.

"Lance? McClain?" Keith narrowed in on Pidge again, laughter gone. "Where is he? Is he okay? He's coming to dinner?!" Keith looked somewhere between angry and shocked.

"He's changing in his room. He's okay. He's coming to dinner." Pidge's eyes darkened a bit. "You saw him?"

"Saw him? He threw me out of the way of a bomb? Last time I saw him I thought he was dying in my arms." Keith's breaths rasped shallowly and dots danced in front of his eyes.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. This is all going to make sense okay. Just, really, he is okay. I promise." Pidge put a hand on his cheek and Coleen had come up to put an arm around him.

"Breath slower, Keith." The older Holt advised. "Here breath with me, in. Out. In. Out. Better." She patted him on the back. "Come on then, it'll be okay." She steered him toward the dining room. He was too shocked to really object much.

Pidge frowned. Threw him out of the way of a bomb? Somehow Lance had failed to mention that part to her earlier, but then they hadn't had much time to chat and he had asked about Keith, now that she thought about it, just in an offhanded kind of way that didn't stick out. Apparently her new friend was even more reckless with his life than she'd suspected. She was going to have to keep a closer eye on him.

***

"Haxus?" He stepped to the side of the line going into the club. The woman in the suit stalked over in front of him, looking rather put out and shoved him back around the corner into an alley. "I think you know, this is our turf, right? You shouldn't be here?" She glared.

"I'm following orders. I have a job to do." He glared back, pulling himself up and making sure to look down at her. "You wouldn't interfere with orders from Zarkon, would you?"

"Now see, love, now we know you are lying." A softer feminine voice whispered in his ear. "The big man don't give these kind of orders to flunkies like you and there is no way you should be throwing that name around like that. There could be police about." She looked pointedly at the four officers making their way past the bouncer and into the club.

Haxus growled, "Ezor, get off of me you whore."

A large shadow fell over him and he had the sense to cower back at the look on Zethrid's face.

"What did you say?" She snarled at him.

"Oh, don't worry baby. I don't let things like that get to me." Ezor moved around to Zethrid's side. "Especially not from low life flunkies." Ezor said the right words, but Zethrid could feel the tremor in the hand she laid on her shoulder.

"So, what do you want here?" Axca asked.

"I'm following those cops. I've been ordered to make some examples and they seem likely targets." Haxus whispered.

"So, what? You thought you'd come down here and set off a bomb? In Lotor's club? Stop by and insult Ezor and piss off Zethrid for fun?" Axca narrowed eyes at Sendak's lieutenant.

"I'm just doing my job. Get the fuck out of my way. And how can I insult the whore by calling her a whore? She worked for Sendak I know exactly what she is." Haxus sneered at her.

"Was." Axca stated calmly holding a hand up and stalling Zethrid from pummeling him. "Now she's one of us and Lotor will not take kindly to your words." She sneered back at him.

"I'm not afraid of that over groomed pansy." Haxus laughed.

"Well that's a mistake." Lotor's smooth voice echoed from the shadows in the alley.

Haxus blanched visibly.

"You may tell Sendak that there will not be any bombs or dead cops in my club. You may tell him that the next time I find you down here, well…let's just say he won't be finding you again after that." Lotor smiled coldly, his eyes glinting like stones.

"You can't talk to Sendak like that." Haxus objected.

"Oh, but you see, I can, I will, and I have." Lotor patted him on the cheek. "Axca, do you think he can remember the message?" He turned to her and she smiled slowly.

"I'm afraid he might be too stupid to remember it all." she answered.

"Tsk, I fear you could be right." Lotor frowned and then smiled brightly as though an idea had just occurred to him. "Zethrid, perhaps you would like to help Haxus here remember the message for Sendak."

Zethrid chuckled low in her throat and pounded her fist into her hand.

"Zethrid?" Lotor cautioned. "He does need to be alive to deliver the message, and mostly conscious. Please bear that in mind." He turned and looped his arm through Ezor's and pulled her over to him. "Axca, if you can take the gate, I feel Ezor and I need to make an appearance on the dance floor. Narti?" A shadow stepped away from the wall as the fourth of his crew made her appearance. She had long black hair and her eyes were eerily white. Haxus hadn't even been aware she was there and shivered as she turned to him. When he'd seen her before her face had always been covered with dark glasses and a scarf. Now that it was free the scarring around her face was plain, her teeth showed through scarred gaps on her cheeks and her nose was practically nonexistent.

Lotor laughed openly at Haxus's reaction. "Narti dear, you know what you do to people." She inclined her head slightly seemingly amused. "Please, help Zethrid make sure Haxus gets back into Sendak's realm, would you?" She nodded again.

Zethrid wrapped a hand around Haxus's mouth and the drug him back into the alley. Lotor and Ezor moved gracefully back around the corner and out into the crowd drawing attention and creating a scene as they welcomed people waiting into the club. Axca slipped quietly back to her post by the door, keeping a watchful eye on the crowds and an ear open to the feed coming from Zethrid and Narti's mics.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow this chapter jumped at me, updates will not usually be this fast

Dinner was a fairly awkward affair. Lance kept staring at Keith and Keith kept staring at Lance. Adam was trying to make small talk, but he was nervous and tended to come off as a bit bossy when he was. Shiro knew Adam was nervous, but it was still frustrating, because really he just wanted a chance to talk with him. If it hadn't been for Coleen and Allura discussing a new strain of disease resistant wheat she had been perfecting the table would have fallen into sullen silence.

As they were getting up from the meal, Adam made his way over to Shiro.

"I was hoping we could talk in private?" Adam asked nervously.

"Okay." Shiro gave him an encouraging smile. His heart was beating a mile a minute. He wondered if they could really patch this up. He had lately come to the conclusion that maybe being together was worth the risk of getting hurt, but he would need to make sure Adam felt the same way, was willing to take the same risks.

"If you'll excuse us?" Adam offered to the others with a nod. He and Shiro left the dining room heading out toward the pool area.

"Ah, well then, Nunvil anyone?" Coran offered to a chorus of groans and an odd look from Keith.

"What's Nunvil?"

"Ah young sir, it will be a treat to introduce you!" Coran rushed out to get two glasses of his favorite drink.

"Seriously, dude, you do not want to drink that stuff." Lance gave him a concerned look.

"What? Why?" Keith asked with a frown.

"It tastes like hotdog water and feet, and looking the way you do right now it might just kill you. You look horrible, shouldn't you be in bed or something?" Lance's concern almost made up for his lack of tact.

"I got blown up. I'm supposed to look like this. The real question is why don't you? Other than a little pale you look fine, I swear when I dragged your butt out of the fire you were dying." Keith sputtered in irritation.

"I popped in the magic healing pod thingie and now all better." Lance gave him a brilliant smile. "How come Keith didn't get to take a ride in the magic healing pod thingie?"

Pidge smacked his arm, "First stop calling it that. Second it is only used in life or death situations. Third you were in it. Fourth Keith wasn't in on the whole situation so he had to go to the hospital." Pidge frowned again at Keith. "I really am sorry Keith, but the pod is only used if someone's dying and it only has limited uses."

"You have a pod that heals people that are dying?" Keith asked eyes going wide.

"Well, not exactly." Allura offered joining the conversation after having observed a bit. "It offers advanced and accelerated healing from physical trauma. There are limitations to what it can heal, but it does significantly decrease the healing time and can heal things that are beyond your planet's current medical capabilities."

"My planet…" Keith took a couple steps back and sat down hard in a chair. His mind was swirling with the implications.

"Oh…huh…guess that makes sense." Lance commented from the other side of the room and Keith had to glare at him.

"How does that make sense?!" Keith coughed and closed his eyes against the pain for a moment. When he opened them Coran was putting a drink in his hand. Without thinking he took a long drink to soothe his throat. He regretted it nearly immediately as the taste made itself known on his tongue the liquid was already going down his throat. He thought it was going to make a u-turn at this stomach, but he managed to keep it down with a groan.

"Ah Keith, Lance warned you." Pidge patted his back and took the glass from him. Keith glared at her and then glared at Coran who was huffing his disappointment that yet another human failed to appreciate his beverage of choice.

***

"So, come here often?" Shiro offered to break the ice. He was sitting at a small table overlooking the pool. Adam had been staring into the water for the last several minutes. There were colored lights under the surface and tastefully dim lights surrounded the pool and the patio area they were currently sitting in. There were landscaped plants beyond the tiled paths surrounding the pool. It was actually a pretty romantic setting.

"I do. It's a good place to think." Adam turned to Shiro with a smile. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately."

"Oh yeah, me too." Shiro sighed. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too. I need to tell you some things and they're not all good and I don't know what you are going to think when I get done, but I really need you to hear it all, okay?" Adam reached across and took Shiro's hand in his.

Shiro blinked at his words and nodded tightening his hand around Adam as his heart tightened in fear. What would Adam say that would upset him? Did he still think they should be apart? Was there someone else? It had been awhile.

"I want you to know that I did it to protect you." Adam looked into his eyes. "Kashi, I swear I did it all to try to protect you."

Shiro nodded his eyes welling up with tears. "I…don't understand Adam, I let you leave to protect you."

Adam smiled gently. "I know. I think we're a matched set of idiots sometimes." He took a deep breath. "But I lied to you. I know you were trying to protect me from your work, even though you never said it directly. I also was trying to protect you from what I did, what I knew."

Shiro frowned, "But…"

"Please, Kashi, this is hard. Let me try to finish. I wasn't hurt in the accident because of your police work." Shiro drew in a sharp breath. "I was hurt because of my work with the White Lion."

Shiro pulled his hand away and stood abruptly. He felt like he couldn't breathe. Tears were blinding him.

"I'm sorry, there's more."

"You let me think…" Shiro's breath hitched. "You let me think that was my fault." He turned haunted eyes back to Adam.

"I told you it wasn't your fault, Kashi, please, I told you it wasn't."

"I didn't believe you. I thought you were trying to say it was the Galra's fault." Shiro shook his head.

"I know, and it was, it is, but I meant more than that. Please, sit back down." Adam begged.

Shiro sat down stiffly, tears still streaking his cheeks.

"It started when you went missing." Adam sighed. "I was desparate to find you. We all were."

Shiro nodded and turned to look back at Adam.

"I was tracking down any and all leads on the Galra. I knew they had to be connected to your disappearance and Commander Holt and Matt. Keith and I had gone over your notes and board and we were sure, even though there wasn't proof." Adam had remembered that one frantic night when he and Keith had actually worked together to piece all of the notes and theories into a solid picture of the case Shiro had been working. While they had agreed on who was responsible, they had diverged on paths for finding Shiro.

"I was following some leads that brought me here, to Allura and Coran. Things weren't adding up and I knew something was off with their stories. The more I dug, the more off it was, and soon I found myself stumbling on to a lot more than I had anticipated. The Galra are worse than you know, Kashi, so much worse." Adam cringed and Shiro frowned at the fear he heard in his voice. It took a lot to scare Adam.

"I got too far in my work for Coran and Allura to let me continue for fear of exposing them. They decided instead to bring me in to their circle." Adam looked back into the water.

"Expose them? What is going on here?" Shiro asked confused.

"Take a leap with me here, okay Kashi. They aren't from earth, well Allura was born here, but their people aren't from here and neither are the Galra."  
Shiro blinked his mouth hanging open. That was nowhere in his realm of things I've thought might happen to me tonight.

"I know. I had pretty much the same reaction." Adam chuckled a bit and shook his head. "I think Keith is going to have enough 'I told you so' ammo to last a lifetime after tonight, what him and all his conspiracy theory stuff."

Shiro nodded slowly.

"So, Coran and Allura will explain more about that, but it was through them that the whole White Lion thing happened."

"Adam, if you know who he is you have to tell me. Did he put you at risk? Why did he leave you in that car?" Shiro glared at Adam.

"Its not like that Kashi, yes it put me at risk, but the White Lion couldn't leave me in that car, because I am the White Lion. It's me. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." Adam tried to catch Shiro's hand, but he was already standing up and stalking away around the pool.

Shiro staggered, he needed air, he needed to think. Adam was the White Lion. Adam had lied to him. Adam…Shiro found another bench and sat down heavily. It was a lot to take in.

Adam leaned back and waited. Shiro would need time to process. He knew this about him. It still wasn't easy seeing him walk away in anguish. He swallowed back the naseua. He owed Shiro this time. He should have known he would have been feeling guilty about Adam's accident. He should have realized his reassurances hadn't been enough for the other man to let it go. He had been blaming himself for Adam's disability this entire time. It had to have been eating him up inside. No wonder Keith had been so angry with him. He deserved his anger.

Shiro stared into the water for a long time. Adam was the White Lion. He hadn't been left at the accident. He had been targeted possibly because of something he had been doing. The White Lion, who fought the Galra. He was in danger because of that because he chose to be that. Shiro felt a twinge of guilt that he had chosen to take on the mantel to save him, but he could have put it down when Shiro got back if that was the case. No there was more to it. Adam's words about the Galra echoed back to him, "so much worse". How much worse? And here Keith was going after them now, had been…oh.

Shiro walked back over to Adam, still not meeting his eyes.

"Keith knows?"

"Yes."

"How long?" Shiro sat resigned.

"He found out the night of the explosion." Adam offered. "I called you Kashi."

"You were there?"

"I came after. He was already in the back room when I got there and you were nearly through the barricade."

"Were you the one that called him? Warned us about the threats?" Shiro asked eyes narrowing.

"Yes. Lance actually found out about them." Adam looked over trying to gauge Shiro's reaction. He almost expected the anger. He wasn't a lawyer because he was bad at reading people.

"So where were you? Why weren't you there for him?" Shiro growled.

"I was pulling a senator out of a burning building." Adam met his anger evenly. "I warned you. I thought he'd be okay. There were two threats. I had to protect the senator, he was too vulnerable."

"Does Keith look okay to you?" Shiro closed his eyes trying to rein in the out of control feeling building.

"He looks better." Adam offered sadly. "Even the suit won't allow me to be two places at once, Kashi. You wouldn't have made a different choice as a policeman either, would you have?"

Shiro froze, he wanted to say yes he would have. He would have put Keith first, but knowing who Keith was, knowing what he was capable of, wouldn't he have let him take the risk instead of civilians. Isn't that what he did anyway by letting the whole set up go down. "So why was Lance there?"

"Sendak told him he was going to blow up the bus to punish him for being on TV with Iverson. He was smuggled here by the Galra, so they think they own him. He knew I'd warned Keith, but he decided he needed to be there anyway." Adam shivered remembering how still Lance had been when he arrived.

"He could have been hurt." Shiro frowned in concern.

"He was. He very nearly died." Adam admitted.

"What? He looked tired, but I didn't see a scratch on him."

"It's good to have alien friends sometimes." Adam offered with a slight grin.

"Huh?" Shiro was still processing. He hadn't really looked at Adam or acknowledged the hand he had resting on the table, just waiting for Shiro to reach out and take it.

"There's something else I need to tell you." Adam started serious again.

"I'm not sure I can take any more surprises right now Adam, my head's spinning already." Shiro turned to look at him and was surprised by the tears welling in Adam's eyes.

"It's just I wanted you to know. I've been thinking about telling you every day since I left. I have never regretted anything so much. I wanted to keep you safe and I thought my pain, how much I missed you, I thought it was all worth it to keep you out of the line of fire. The thing is I was stupid. You're a cop and a good one and me not telling you the truth didn't protect you or Keith. I wasted all this time and I still didn't keep you safe. I hurt you and I still didn't protect you." Adam looked down and took a shuddering breath. "I just…I don't want you to think the only reason I'm telling you is because of the explosion or Keith or anything other than I realized I made a mistake and I owed you the truth." Adam paused and listened to Shiro's shuddering breaths, he was probably crying too, but he couldn't bring himself to look up at him. "You don't have to say anything right now. I know you probably need time to think, but I hope we can…I know it's too much to hope you'll want me back, but mabye we can be friends or at least work together…" Suddenly Shiro was kneeling in front of him, holding his hands. "Please, don't hate me." Adam whispered.

"I could never hate you." Shiro ran his hand over Adam's cheek and Adam lifted his eyes to meet Shiro's. "I can't hate you. I never stopped loving you." Shiro leaned forward until their lips met, salty with tears and regret, sweet with hope.

Adam's breath came out in a rush as Shiro pulled back and looked at him, "I love you so much." His arms wrapped around Shiro finding their old spots, like putting on a favorite sweater, soft and warm and just right.

Shiro leaned up into him pressing their bodies closer and wrapped his arms around Adam. He hadn't felt this whole in a long time. The world around him was swirling and crazy right now, but here in Adam's arms everything was possible.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll call this chapter Miamiverse Altean history 101

When Shiro and Adam got back to the rest of them, they had settled into chairs in a meeting room. There was a long oblong table surrounded by chairs and a screen on the wall at one end. Keith smirked at the look on Shiro's face. His brother hadn't worn that particular grin in a long time. Whether he approved or not, and he was still reserving judgement on that, Adam had a knack for making Shiro smile.

"So, I suppose it has come to be time for some revelations." Allura began. "I first want to say that, this secret I am about to share is dangerous. I want to give you all an opportunity to leave now. Lance, that includes you, it will not impact what you have already agreed to do, but knowing will make your task even more dangerous." Lance frowned, but nodded. Keith looked from the younger man and back to Allura with narrowed eyes, he wondered what exactly they were having him do. "Coran will be starting with some background." Allura sat and gestured to Coran.

"I suppose the only way to begin is at the beginning." He dimmed the lights in the room and brought up a picture of stars, galaxies actually. "This is the Milky Way." He used a laser pointer to circle it. "This is a galaxy known as Oriande." He circled a large galaxy on the other side of the screen. He clicked and the screen changed to showing a close up of Oriande. "This star is called Voltron." He zoomed in on the star system. It depicted fifteen planets circling a star. Two planets seemed to be revolving around each other as they revolved around the star. They were equal in size and there was a strange glow between them. "These are planets Altea and Daibazaal. I was born on Altea approximately four hundred of your years ago." Coran paused a moment for the shock to settle through the new members of the audience.

Keith looked suspicious, Shiro looked awed, and Lance laughed.

"Looking good for four hundred, my man." Lance laughed and for a moment Coran was afraid he thought it was a joke, but the sincerity in his eyes was genuine. He just wasn't that bothered.

Keith stared at Lance again, "How are you taking this so well?"

"Super hero suits, flying robot gardeners, and magic healing pods," Lance ticked off three fingers. "Why are aliens and a really old Coran going to bother me after that?"

Coran cleared his throat and continued. "Altea and Daibazaal were essentially twin planets. They revolved around a gravitational anomaly known as The Rift. Almost a thousand years ago our people developed space travel, no doubt spurred by the nearness of Daibazaal and the knowledge that it was likely to support life. King Danfor the Determined, piloted the first voyage himself. They traversed around The Rift, fearful of it's impact on their ship. It took two of your weeks to reach Daibazaal. When they landed they were met with surprise and curiosity form the people on Daibazaal, people known as the Galra."

Shiro hissed in a long breath and Keith drew back at the word. Lance for the first time appeared nervous. Finding out your friends were advanced aliens was somewhat less concerning than finding out your enemies were as well.

"Our people became allies. We combined our technologies and our scientists worked together. We discovered that The Rift contained a powerful source of quintessence."

"What's quintessence?" Shiro asked frowning mightily.

"It is the energy that gives life, flows through every living thing in the universe. It comes in different forms, but at it's base, it is basically the same." Allura answered.

"The quintessence from The Rift was concentrated perhaps by the gravitational fields. We found a way to harvest the quintessence. It was used to provide energy to the planets, to fuel long range space ships, even to open wormholes for deep space exploration." Coran explained. "It was also found to have healing properties. We used it to create the healing pod, like the one Lance used. The Galra discovered that it could prolong life, indefinitely." Coran's voice turned grave.

"The Galra begin taking treatments, absorbing the quintessence into themselves. It stopped their aging, but the side effects," Coran sighed. "It seemed to sap the very humanity from them. Galra that were friends turned cold, power hungry, and without regard for others."

"That sounds like the Galra." Keith spat.

"Yes." Coran shook his head sadly. "The demand for quintessence on the Galra home world became higher and higher. They harvested more and more from The Rift. Our scientists warned them that they were taking too much, destabilizing the rift, but they did not listen. A war started between our planets. The war stretched on, neither side gaining the upper hand. It became clear to us that we had not stopped the Galra in time. Our scientists designed a long range ship, to carry our people away from our home, to find a new planet to settle. When the ship was started it would hold all the people of Altea, when it was finished it was twice as large as we needed." Coran wiped a tear. "So many had been lost to the fighting. King Alfor was the ruler when the ship finished. He despised the war. He reached out to the Emperor of the Galra, to Zarkon."

Shiro's mechanical hand crushed the glass he had been holding.

"I'm sorry." he muttered embarrassed.

"Do not be concerned." Allura soothed. Nan, who had been standing by quickly cleaned the mess.

"King Alfor offered Zarkon a truce and space on our ship to escape the destruction of our home worlds. Zarkon accepted. He was young then, they both were barely more than two decades. They had grown up watching lives lost and vowed to stop it. A week before The Rift was scheduled to collapse our peoples boarded the vessel. We called it the Castle of Lions, because King Alfor was called King Alfor the Lion."

"Among other reasons," Adam smiled.

"I'll get to that." Coran swatted at him. "You're as impatient as a Sretvaliant Cobra."

"Just get to the good part." Adam smirked. "You get windy."

Coran sputtered and Adam laughed. Shiro smiled at Adam, it was good to hear his laugh. It had been such a long time.

"Please, continue, Coran." Allura swatted at Adam chuckling in a low tone.

"Yes, Allura." He gave Adam a glare. "The ship took off through The Rift. The quintessence was loaded into special tanks to give the energy required for the trip. A wormhole was opened, but something happened that was not expected. The massive drop in quintessence trigged the collapse of The Rift too soon. It's collapse spun the ship out of control and we did not reach our destination. Instead, we crashed here, into your Atlantic Ocean almost a hundred years ago."

"How did that go undetected?" Keith asked in awe.

"Cloaking technology and Earth technology couldn't compare, especially back then. There were some rumors, but remember, that long ago it wasn't like it could all be posted on the internet." Pidge answered.

"Though we did have a bit of a scare there in '37 with that whole War of the Worlds fiasco, thought we'd been discovered." Coran laughed and the others around the table just looked at each other in confused awe.

"After the ship submerged, we did several surveys of the planet, and while it was compatible with both Galra and Altean anatomy, it was clear that your primitive society was not ready for the introduction of an alien society, let alone two alien societies seeking refuge. We agreed that we would live on the planet, but with an effort to blend in and go unnoticed. Our plan was to repair our ship and eventually find or develop the technology that would allow us to complete our journey to our new home worlds."

"The area of the ocean we found ourselves in was relatively unexplored. We built two islands, one for the Alteans and one for the Galra. Some twenty years later we were miraculously discovered." Coran smiled fondly. "There were, of course, still bad things happening in the world, the Korean war and such, but we tried to focus on the good things. Our people presented ourselves as simple peasants. We kept our technology hidden. King Alfor though knew how to work with people. He met with Queen Elizabeth, he brought Elvis Presley to the Altean Island for a concert, he met with Churchill, he leaked information that was pivotal to the completion of the polio vaccine, he even marched in protests in the United States over segregation. As Alteans we had always considered ourselves adaptable and we found the good in humanity and found our footing and place on this world."

"The Galra, however, grew bitter. They saw all that was wrong with the world, and I think we can all agree Earth is not perfect." Several nods around the table and he continued. "The Galra were still using the quintessence to maintain youth. The Alteans are already naturally long lived and the Galra argued that they should be allowed the same lifespans even if it was obtained artificially. As Zarkon took more and more treatments to maintain his youth he grew distant from Alfor. The King knew what was causing it and pleaded with his friend, but ultimately he didn't want him to die either and so he did not do more than ask him to stop." Coran stopped and bowed his head.

"Coran, perhaps a break?" Allura offered.

Coran nodded and wiping his face turned to leave the room, "I, yes, thank you. I just need a moment." He stepped out and the room sat in silence.  
"Coran and father were very close, it hurts him to think of him and what happened. Coran was even friends with Zarkon at one time, though not as close as he was to father." Allura smiled sadly at the door Coran had left through. "I think perhaps that is enough for tonight. If you would like to spend the evening there are rooms available?" Allura looked to Shiro and Keith.

"Actually, I need to get Keith back, we didn't bring all of his medication." Shiro answered regretfully.

"Then if you are available we can reconvene for brunch? Say 10ish?" Allura offered.

"Yes, I can do that." Shiro was pale and his hands shook a little, it was a lot to process, and hearing Galra and Zarkon so many times made him pretty sure he was going to be having nightmares tonight.

Keith seemed to understand and though he would rather have stayed and finished the story, he would go home for Shiro. He was also going to dig through all of alien conspiracy material at home and see if there was anything he could match up with Coran's story.

Adam had been watching Shiro most of the story and at some point and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He gave it a squeeze and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked about more than just brunch and Shiro knew it. It was are you okay, are we still trying this, did I scare you off?

"Yeah." He turned and kissed Adam softly on the lips. "Tomorrow."

"Ugh. PDA." Pidge groaned and banged her head on the table.

"Katie!" Colleen snapped.

"Sorry." she muttered and then under her breath so low that only Keith and Lance heard her, "not sorry."

"Wait!" Lance nearly yelled in the silence.

"What?" Adam looked at Lance confused.

"No I mean, wait a minute, cause if Alfor was Allura's father and he was a King that means she's a…" He looked up at Allura with even more awe than usual. "A princess," he completed with a goofy grin.

"Aliens, wars, history, and everything else and that is what you got out of that story!" Keith snapped staring at Lance with near horror.

"Well, yeah, you got to focus on what's important right?" Lance gave him a lazy grin that he knew would only serve to annoy the other man.

"You are an idiot." Keith declared.

"Yep, not worried about your opinion, Mr. Detective." Lance mocked.

"That's enough."

"Boys, really?"

Adam and Shiro said nearly at the same time, looking at each other and blushing a little.

Pidge snickered something that sounded like "dads".

Pidge and Colleen walked with Lance out to their rooms. Allura went to find Coran. Adam was left to escort Shiro and Keith out.

"I'm glad you came." Adam said quietly.

"I'm glad you asked." Shiro gave him a small grin. "This is a lot to process, but I'm glad to have the chance to try."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." Adam held Shiro's hand at the door.

"You should be." Keith rolled his eyes and headed out to the car not bothering to say goodbye.

"So, he hates me." Adam sighed.

"No, but you hurt him." Shiro looked sadly after Keith. "You know how he is and having you leave, well, it just hit all the wrong spots."

"Yeah I know, and I know I hurt you too." Adam looked up into Shiro's eyes.

"I think we hurt each other. Let's try not to do that again." Shiro leaned down and kissed Adam again letting their foreheads rest together for a minute after before pulling away. "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." Adam echoed.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey new chapter :)
> 
> Calling this The Chapter of Love...
> 
> aka the author must be feeling lonely

James woke disoriented. This wasn't his apartment. He blinked at the ceiling a few times before the movement next to him reminded him where he had been sleeping. 

"James?" 

He smiled. He loved it when she said his name like that. She only did it when they were alone. It was for him. 

"Ina, m'sorry. Did I wake you?" He rolled to his side wrapping arms around her waist and pulling her closer. 

"It's okay." She smiled up at him. 

Those eyes that saw everything, calculated every move, never missed anything, looked at him and smiled. He'd never had anyone accept him so completely. She knew. She knew it all and still she was here and still she smiled. He pressed his lips against that smile. 

She laughed.

"What will we do with this whole day off?" He murmured, nuzzling down into her neck and pressing kisses to her collarbone.

"Would you like me to calculate how many times we could engage in sexual acts over the course of a twenty-four-hour period? Though I will have to take into account time for hydration and nourishment to maintain optimum activity level." She pressed her hands against his chest and pushed him away slightly so that he had to look at her.

"Hmmm…" His eyes roved over her body and he slid the sheets down a bit more. "Maybe we'd better get started then?"

"Adjusting the calculations for extreme motivation." She murmured as she pulled him back against her and pressed her lips into the spot just below his ear at his jawline where she knew he loved to be touched.

***

Kincade was sleeping on the couch when she crept into their shared apartment. He'd waited up for her. She smiled and tucked a blanket around him. There was no way she could drag his butt into bed, but she could at least see that he was comfy. She filled herself a glass of water and leaned back against the counter. 

Her mind drifted to the soft kiss at the door. Just a sweet gentle touch, a beginning, nothing too much or too little. She'd been surprised when the big guy had asked her to dance, but when he was on the dance floor, he'd taken her breath away. How someone with so much muscle mass could move like that was just jaw dropping. The dark shirt he wore had swirls of purple on black and his muscles rippled when he moved like the fabric was painted on him. He didn’t talk a lot, but that was okay because as always, she was happy to talk enough for everyone in the room. They had danced for hours. He'd told her that he worked at a gym, was a weight lifter and, no shit, liked long walks on the beach. At first, she thought he'd been kidding, but he was dead serious. He'd invited her to take such a walk.

She'd introduced Antok to Kincade. Ryan had given him the once over, requested to see his ID and promised to hunt him down and kill him if he harmed one hair on Nadia's head. Antok took it all in stride. He wasn't intimidated, but he didn't blow Ryan off either. He met his eyes and promised to deliver her home safe. Ryan had actually smiled.

So, they had walked on the beach and talked. Well at least she talked. He did talk some. He didn't have any family. He was very dedicated to his work. He didn't really go out much, but his friend had convinced him. He liked how Nadia talked and danced. He told her he did not enjoy timid women or people who tried to tell him what they thought he wanted to hear. He liked her honesty and her laugh.

Before the end of the walk, she'd told him she was a detective. It was something she usually left to later, because not everyone reacted well to the idea, but he'd smiled and nodded and said it suited her. She'd wrapped an arm around his waist, and he'd put one over her shoulder. They'd found a late-night diner on the beach and ordered chili cheese fries and milkshakes. He said he'd never eaten fries like that before, and she promised to be a bad influence on him. They had exchanged numbers

He drove her back to the apartment building and walked her to the door. He'd pulled her into a hug and pressed a very soft and timid kiss to her lips. They separated and he didn't seem to press for more instead giving her hand a squeeze and promising to call her later in the week.

She startled when she felt someone take the cup from her hand.

"You're sleeping standing up." Ryan huffed. "But at least it looks like it was a nice dream."

She squealed and grabbed him spinning him around, "He was soooo…. just wow!"

"I got a good impression. I'm glad you had a good time." He kissed her check. "Now I'm going to bed because my back is killing me."

"Old man." She laughed. 

***

"Acxa?" Lotor slipped out of the bedroom, a silk robe draped over his shoulders.

"Yes." She stepped out of the shadows near the door.

"My guest is ready to leave. Please, be sure he gets a ride in the limo and have some flowers sent tomorrow." Lotor smiled almost sadly at her before turning and entering what was actually his room. The large oversized suite where he entertained guests was for show. It was the one that made it into magazines and the one that all his one-night stands got to visit. 

His actual room wasn't any larger than the four that were provided to his generals, as he called them. 

"Of course,” Acxa nodded, "would you like anything sent to your room tonight?"

"No. Well, on second thought a bottle of something dry and white and a fruit and cheese plate." Lotor paused looking back at his general in charge.

"I'll have it sent, sir." She gave him a tight smile as he closed the door. She squared her shoulders and stepped to the other bedroom, knocking lightly.

"Hello?" A voice questioned from the room.

"Hello. Lotor sent me to see if you needed anything and to see that you make it home safely." She had done this many times. The flash of disappointment on the young man's face was not new. She'd seen it on many pretty faces that were hoping that maybe their one night with Lotor would become something more. It hadn't happened yet.

"Oh. Well, I just need to get dressed." He pulled the covers up to his chest and blushed.

"There is no hurry. Please, take your time. Could I order you anything to eat?" Axca offered. She almost felt sorry for them, these one-night stands, but Lotor never lied to them, never offered more than a momentary pleasure.

"Oh, no. No, I'm not hungry. Thanks." Axca closed the door and could hear him scrambling around. Most of them were ready to leave at this point. She didn't think he'd be too long. There had only been a handful that had ever taken her up on her offer of food. Once she was fairly certain the poor creature had been trying to hit on her. 

She wasn't sure what Lotor was looking for, but she was sure he wasn't finding it in his club or with any of the men and women he brought back to the apartment from their nights on the town. He wanted more. He had plans, she knew some of them, but she suspected she did not know all of them. He was secretive and closed off even from those closest to him. She suspected he'd never had a person in his life to trust and simply didn't know how. Something about his brokenness drew her in, made her want to help him, make him better. And maybe that was her problem

She sighed as the young man opened the door, "I'm ready."

"Very good." She smiled brightly. "I'll have the limo brought around. They will take you wherever you need to go."

***

"Loto?" Helen brushed his hair away from his face. She had applied the bandages and the weird medicinal paste they had given her. Her eyes strayed back to his leg, or rather where his leg used to be and now a mechanical leg existed. He groaned and she turned to get a wet cloth and apply it to his face. They had brought her to him two days ago, told her to nurse him back to health. How she was supposed to do that in this dank cell with just the stuff they provided her with was beyond her. There was no health in the cells. No wellness to be found anywhere. 

She'd been taken from outside the restaurant where she worked. Three guys that had ordered burgers and fries. They had waited in the alley outside the employee entrance and grabbed her when she left to get home. She was told she was the bait. It wasn't her that they were after. A few hours later she had understood, when Loto had come to look for her they had grabbed him. The three of them and tasers. 

They had been separated then. She had been taken to work in the kitchen areas that supplied the gladiators with food. She cooked, cleaned, and served the poor creatures who were taken out to fight and die for other's pleasure. She had even gotten to see Loto on occasion. It was he that had caught the Galra's eye, he that they had wanted to fight in their games. It was her poor kind-hearted husband that they called the Mountain. His strength that they were manipulating to become their killing machine. 

Tears ran down her face as she shushed his moans. She knew they used her as leverage against him. She knew she'd been threatened and once, very soon after their capture, had been beaten before him. It had not happened again, and this Mountain's name was spoken with fear and respect. 

She wasn't sure what she expected when they brought her in, but her heart both broke and rejoiced when his fevered eyes were fixed on her and in them, she still saw Loto. They had not killed his spirit yet, he was still in there, still fighting and as long as he was, she had hope for him. She had hope for both of them. They were going to get out of this alive and they were going to get back to their son. 

She knew of one that had escaped. His name was spoken in the same sort of tone as The Mountain - The Champion. The Champion had been the star of the arena, but he had escaped somehow and if he could do it, then so could they.

***

"Lisa?" Luis stepped into the apartment. The sound of a baby crying echoed around children's laughter.

"Luis? I…um…" She stepped out of the bedroom, a bundle in her arms. 

"Honey?" He stepped forward and gently lifted the corner of the blanket revealing a dark little face with tight curls and the biggest brown eyes that were currently filled with tears.

"No one came for him." She whispered.

"Okay." He didn't even try to argue with her. What was he going to do? Leave the kid on a doorstep.

"Okay?" Her hopeful eyes lifted to his. He loved the light brown that mixed with the dark brown in her eyes, like streaks of light.

"We always said we'd have a big family." He smiled gently and put a finger into a tiny fist, little fingers curled around him and the tears slowed as curiosity filled the little face. "What's his name?"

"Samuel."

"Hello, Sam." Luis cooed. "Can I hold him?"

"Of course,” Lisa transferred the baby to her husband's experienced arms. Her shoulders slumped weary. Slyvio and Carlos had played together quietly most of the day. Nadia had attempted to help care for Alice and Tori was a wonder, washing dishes and folding laundry. They were all so good, but little Sam had cried almost from the moment his mother had dropped him off this morning, and when no one came back for him that night he hadn't stopped. He wasn't feverish, or hungry, or dirty. He was just angry and loud she decided. 

"Go, take a nap. Veronica will be home soon, she was stopping for some groceries. I'll call and let her know to pick up more diapers and formula." Luis started guiding her to the bedroom.

"But supper,” Lisa objected, though without much force, her eyes were already drooping. 

"Tori has been begging for me to teach her how to make pancakes. We will have breakfast for supper." Luis smiled. "Now, go sleep until you look like a human again." He chuckled as she frowned and swatted half-heartedly at him.

***

Shiro had gotten Keith back to the apartment, but he was nearly carrying him by the time he got him to his room. He brought him his medicine and the young man feel asleep before his head hit the pillow. Shiro covered him gently. Keith had been going a mile a minute about conspiracy theories and chat rooms and magazines he needed to check on when they got home, but really, he was still healing, and the evening had taken more out of him than he was willing to admit.

 _Home._ He texted Adam. 

_You okay?_

_Yeah. It's a lot to think about. I'll have a lot of questions by tomorrow._

_I know you. I'm expecting a notebook and a list :)_

_Okay, so maybe I was just now picking one out of the desk._

_LOL, I know you_

_I missed this._

_I have too. So, tell me about what's going on at work? How's life in the Captain's chair?_

_Mabye I should call. We suck at texting. Keith has pointed out the whole typing sentences and punctuation is not the point of texting._

The phone rang and Shiro smiled as he saw Adam's face displayed. They spent the next four hours talking about everything and nothing - jobs, new restaurants, clients, cases, movies. When Shiro yawned for the fifth time Adam laughed.

"Kashi, I think you'd better get some sleep. I'll see you in a few hours anyway." 

"I know. I just. I guess I'm a little afraid that if I go to sleep when I wake up this will all have been a dream." He admitted, his face burning from a blush no one else could see.

"It's real. I love you." Adam felt his heart pounding; how did that man do this to him?

"I love you too. Good night, Adam." Shiro smiled.

"Good night."


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of nightmares and a new beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a day late, but extra long so hope that helps make up for it :)

Sendak's hand clutched around his throat tightened as he laughed. Lance kicked and screamed, but he couldn't get loose. He was having trouble breathing. He grabbed at the metal hand and tried to peel it open, but it did not budge. He was going to die, dangling in the air, while this creep laughed.

He fell out of bed screaming, twisted in blankets and clutching at his throat. As his eyes adjusted, he remembered where he was. It was a dream, just dream. He tried to take a slow breath and brushed the sweat out of his eyes.

"Lance? Young sir? Are you well?" Coran's voice from the hall called to him as he knocked.

Lance pulled himself up, only tripping over the sheets a little and walked to the door. He opened it a little and peered out at the older man who was dressed in some sort of old-fashioned night shirt and slippers.

"I'm okay, sorry to wake you, just a bad dream." Lance looked away embarrassed to have awakened the older man. He tugged at his blue t-shirt and clutched at his arm. Coran had left him it and a pair of flannel pants to sleep in.

"Ah, well, I was just about to go down and see if there were some leftover chocolate chip cookies and have a glass of milk. It always helps me when I am having trouble sleeping." Coran smiled and his moustache lifted a little.

"Oh, could I?" Lance gestured out the door.

"I was hoping you would join me." Coran nodded.

"So, um, were you, having trouble sleeping that is, too?" Lance asked as he stepped out of the room to follow Coran.

"Indeed, young sir." Coran answered sadly.

"Do you, want to talk about it? I'm a good listener?" Lance offered with a half-smile.

"And I came to comfort you, you are as surprising as a Crestruffled Midgepie, young Lance." Coran smiled and patted him on the back. "Perhaps we could each share a bit over cookies and go back to easier sleep?"

"Thanks, Coran, I would like that." Lance let out a breath and could feel some of the tension leaving him. Coran had a way of making him feel at home.

"I dreamed of my wife, Marabella." Coran started abruptly after handing Lance a glass of milking and taking a cookie from the plate. "She and our son Torin were at our home in one of the larger cities of Altea when it was attacked. I was serving in a unit protecting the castle. Mabye if I had been home it would have turned out differently." Coran sighed and wiped a tear from his face. "Our home took a direct hit from a Galra cruiser, even though they were in our shelter it wasn't enough. They were both killed instantly."

"How old was your son?" Lance asked wiping a tear of his own.

"Seventeen." Coran met Lance's eyes. "Your age. He was set to join the military in a couple of quintants. He was going to be a pilot. He had heard about the Castle of Lions and wanted to be able to help fly us to our new home."

"I'm so sorry." Lance put his hand on the older man's shoulder.

"Thank you, my boy." Coran sniffled. "I think of them often, but tonight I couldn't help but dream of their deaths. It is one thing in my life that I truly regret, not being able to save them." Coran nodded and then turned to Lance again. "And what disturbed your dreams."

"It's stupid, nothing horrible like what you had." Lance muttered grabbing his arm and looking away again.

Coran reached gently over and pulled his hand from his arm, revealing the scarred skin and the number carved into his arm. "I highly doubt it was stupid."

Lance blinked back tears, "It was Sendak, but it wasn't this, it was him choking me with his hand." Lance's whole body shook. "I'm afraid of him." He admitted with a whisper.

"Of my knowledge he has attacked you twice, I would say you have very good reason to fear." Coran pulled the boy into a hug. "But both times, you have stood up to him admirably and you have not let your fear stop you. You are a very brave young man."

"Stop." Lance brushed him off looking embarrassed. "I'm not all that."

"You are." Coran ruffled his hair. "You are that and more."

***

Shiro woke. He wasn't sure what it was that drew him from his sleep. He looked blearily over at the alarm clock which read 3 am. He listened carefully and heard a sound again, a muffled sort of shout. He scrambled for his gun that he kept in the night stand and crept out into the hall. The sound was coming from Keith's room. As he carefully pushed the door open, he could see what the problem was. He hastily assured the safety was on the gun and set it on the dresser before rushing over to Keith's side. He was tossing and turning occasionally words, or a shout would slip from his lips.

"No. Shiro where are you? Mama? Why did you go? Where is everyone? Don't leave me! Please! Come back!" Tears were streaming down Keith's face and his sleep trapped voice was gruff from his injuries and the tears. 

Keith sat strapped in a highchair. For some reason he was a child, maybe two or three. He was seated at the head of a long dining room table. All around the table were chairs and the dining room was surrounding by huge long windows, like those in a really old fancy house. When the dream started there were people all around the able talking and singing and having a good time. It was a party, maybe his party, he wasn't sure. It was then he saw the monster go by the window, it was big, it's eye barely looked through the topmost part of the tall windows and it was green. He yelled and tried to tell them, but no one would listen. He cried and begged, but they laughed and told him he was imaging it. He was so insistent though that Shiro went out to check, but he didn't come back, soon others left, his Mom, Shiro's parents, His Dad, Pidge, Adam, hell tonight even Lance ran out the door shooting finger guns at him and laughing - everyone left and no one came back. He was alone. Alone and outside the window he could see the monster again. It was laughing at him. Laughing because it had killed all his family, all the important people in his life, all of them gone and he was alone with the monster and now it would come for him. 

He sat up in the bed screaming. His lungs felt like they were on fire and he couldn't breathe. His eyes bugged out and he gripped at his sheets, involuntary tears streaming down his face, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. He gasped for air. And then there were hands, a cold one and a warm one and his inhaler and a voice telling him to breath, to slow down, to take his medicine, to just relax. Keith leaned into the arms and listened to the voice. His breathing slowed, though the pain and ache in his chest did not go away.

"Hey, you with me?" Shiro's concerned eyes looked down at him.

"Sort of." Keith murmured, hand rubbing his chest.

"You haven't had that one in a while?" Shiro made it a question and a statement all in one.

"No, not that bad anyway. Not being able to breathe made it worse." Keith wiped sweat and tears from his face. His chest hurt.

"I'm going to go make some tea. Think it might help?" Shiro offered.

"Actually, yeah, I could go for a cup." Keith tried to relax, but his body still felt like a rubber band pulled back and ready to launch.

"You never could go to sleep after that one." Shiro sighed.

"It has creepy music. I hear it all during the dream and then when I try to go back to sleep and close my eyes, I hear it again." Keith shuddered. "Don't look at me like that. I know I'm not right."

"You're fine. It's a bad dream and it's not like life hasn't thrown enough shit at you to give you bad dreams Keith." Shiro snorted. "Like I'd be one to lecture anyone on bad dreams, weren't you the one rescuing me the other night?"

"I was afraid you'd have one tonight." Keith admitted.

"Me too. Stayed up talking to Adam though, I've only been asleep for a couple of hours. You probably saved me." Shiro gave him a smile and offered him a hand up.

Keith grabbed his laptop and a box of magazines. Shiro raised an eyebrow, but Keith just grinned.

"I am so going to make you regret ever doubting my theories on aliens," he laughed lightly.

"I still didn't see anyone mentioning mothman." Shiro griped good naturedly as he put an arm around Keith's shoulders and steered him to the living room.

***

At about 9:50 in the morning Shiro and Keith pulled up to the Altean embassy. Coran met them at the door, and they were ushered in to the dining area. There were pastries and quiche and bacon and something green and gelatinous that Keith swore moved, but Coran seemed to love. Allura said they would talk after they ate. She had apparently been swimming laps that morning and was hungry. Adam pulled Shiro down for a peck on the cheek and they made eyes at each other most of the meal. Pidge threw pastries at Lance every time he dozed off, which he did about three times, until Coleen caught her and swatted her hand with a frown. Keith distracted Pidge by telling her about some of the magazine articles he'd found and a forum he was a member of called TheRebels that had some interesting theories and information for them to comb through.

After the meal, Nan shooed them off to the conference room from before. She promised to bring around some drinks after a bit. Allura gave her a fond smile and a thank you.

Once seated the table was oddly quiet, no one sure what to bring up first. Finally, Allura broke the silence.

"So, Keith, I see you were able to find some corroborating evidence for our story?" Allura gestured to the magazines he'd been showing Pidge.

"Yeah, several eyewitness accounts that support the crash landing, and additional information on aliens already on earth, though some of it might not be you guys." Keith passed the magazines around; he'd flagged the relevant articles. "Also, just for Adam, Shiro, and Pidge," he turned to them and glared, "I so told you so!"

Lance about fell out of his chair laughing, "Are you five and a conspiracy nut?" 

Keith switched the glare to him but opened his laptop and kept talking. "I also found a forum for a group that calls themselves 'The Rebels'. They have a lot of information on here, including theories connecting the White Lion and the Galra to alien technology. I think you should be keeping an eye on them. I might have even gotten a couple of leads for my case from here."

Pidge scrambled to his side and snagged the computer. Her quick fingers dancing over the keys. 

"He's right. They have a lot right here. Shit. And damn their site is like bulletproof, I can't find a way in."

"Pidge! Language!" Her mother huffed.

"Right, sorry." She answered distracted. "This is something we are going to have to follow up on." She looked to Allura and Adam. "This is potentially a serious breach."

"Okay." Allura took a deep breath, "We will address the site and it's information after we finish getting everyone here on the same page. Pidge if you want to continue digging as we talk, feel free. I know you have heard this before." Pidge nodded and continued to type and read at a ridiculous rate.

"So, to take up where I left off." Coran stood. 

"Oh wait, can I ask a quick question?" Lance raised his hand.

"You don't have to raise your hand, Lance." Allura assured and Keith laughed. "What is it?"

"So, do all aliens look like humans? Or we look like you are whatever, I mean no little gray guys?" Lance asked genuinely puzzled.

"Well, I'm not sure about gray, but our people did make contact with a race on Arus that were quite short and yellow." Coran answered thoughtfully.

"Lance, to answer the rest of your question, have you ever seen my stage makeup? For a concert?" Allura asked.

"Well sure, on TV." Lance nodded thinking of the brilliant marks under her eyes and the almost elfin ears.

"That is what I actually look like." She smiled and pressed behind her ear, it was like her face blurred for a moment and suddenly she had the marks and ears.

"Wow." Lance stared.

"It's holographic technology. We have a disc embedded, here, behind the ear." Coran pressed his as well, revealing different colored marks and even larger ears.

"So, what do Galra look like?" Lance asked.

"Mostly purple, some have hair over much of their bodies, some have large ears, some ridges, they are actually quite varied in appearance. I believe due to different regions from their home world." Coran turned on his projector and put a couple of pictures up, showing Galra without holographic changes.

"Huh. Purple furry aliens, bet those aren't in your conspiracy theory magazines?" Lance turned to Keith. Keith just raised an eyebrow and produced a picture that looked more like purple bigfoot than the aliens on the screen, but Lance could not deny that it was purple and furry.

"Alteans, as I had mentioned, were doing well integrating into Earth. We kept to ourselves mainly because our lifespan is typically seven to eight hundred years." Shiro whistled low and Coran nodded. "Yes, as you can imagine we had to come up with some elaborate birth and death record systems to keep too many prying eyes away from the truth. Our age also made it difficult to intermarry among your species, though some did and there are half blood or less Alteans mixed among the human population even now. Early follow ups showed that while those half-Alteans seemed to have longer than typical human lives, they were not so far different to raise suspicions, and none were born with the characteristic marks and ears."

"Must not be a dominate gene, even if managed to pop up people would probably think they were birth marks and a birth defect for the ears." Pidge commented fingers never stopping on the keyboard.

"Yes, true, though nothing was ever reported that we found." Allura supplied, shivering at someone thinking her ears were a defect.

"Some Galra also mingled with the humans, but it was highly frowned upon by the governing Galra. The half-breeds were viewed as less than those around them and treated poorly. Additionally, half Galra often present with purple coloring or fur. King Alfor received word that Zarkon had ordered doctors and nurses murdered if they had witnessed the birth of a half Galra to protect the secret. Zarkon had also executed some of his own people for producing half breeds. The children were being forced into roles of servitude in their society." Coran wiped a tear. "It was heartbreaking."

Keith realized he'd balled his hands into fists, angry at the description of such crimes, especially against children and innocent people. Lance wiped a tear, pretending he wasn't crying.

"More and more, King Alfor was forced to take a stand against Zarkon. He would meet with him regularly, letting him know that his practice was not acceptable, offering to assist, offering to take the children. I went with him to several of these meetings. We knew Zarkon was slipping further and further into madness and unfortunately due to the quintessence consumption so were most of his generals and advisors. When Alfor discovered that Zarkon had been creating underground networks, dealing in arms, drugs, prostitution, slavery, and many other abhorrent practices we knew that something had to be done. We had brought our war with us to your planet." Coran looked up at each of the humans in the room with such sad eyes. "I am truly sorry for that."

Shiro cleared his throat and got Coran's attention, "It doesn't sound like you had much choice, and it seems your people were not the ones that threw away the chance to start fresh in peace."

Coran nodded to Shiro gratefully, "King Alfor being working on a secret project. He had already started it prior to leaving Altea but had not completed it. He was building a force to protect us, to protect our people and now protect Earth. He built six suits of armor, the Lions he called them."

"SIX!" Lance yelped.

"Yes, six, now let me finish. Each suit was designed to be operated by an individual with a particularly pure type of quintessence. Alfor choose traits he admired and felt would lead to a kind and just force. He was very careful to create something that would not be corrupted or used for evil. He didn't completely succeed." Coran sighed, "But he did his best."

"There were two lions that had been completed on Altea as our people were preparing for our journey. The Red Lion is instinctual and courageous, as was the King. The Black Lion required someone with strength of belief, a true natural leader. The Black Lion chose Zarkon, who had not been corrupted at the time and was truly a compelling leader. As Zarkon still possessed the Black Lion suit, Alfor knew he would not be able to defeat him on his own. He also knew Zarkon had been developing other weapons and feared what he may now possess. Alfor built four additional Lions. The White Lion,” Coran nodded to Adam, "which is the spirit of pure truth. The Green Lion which embodies curiosity and knowledge. The Yellow Lion who is joy, kindness, and protective strength. The Blue Lion who is bravery and self-sacrifice and love."

"But where…" Shiro started, but Coran raised a hand for him to wait.

"The lions were finished, but too late. Zarkon found out about the King's plans. He attacked Altea, our island home. I was here with Allura, she was to be starting school in the fall and we had come to visit where she would attend. King Alfor wanted her to be fully integrated into your world. He envisioned our truth being revealed if we were to fight the Galra and he wanted Allura to be our ambassador to your people. Alfor had hidden all the new lions in different locations, his secret laboratory workshops where he completed them, locations that no one but he knew. Zarkon's forces decimated our home, killing everyone including the King." Coran wiped tears that were free flowing at this point. Allura could also be heard crying and Coleen had moved to sit next to her and wrap her arms around her.

"The force of the destruction sunk the island." Adam added quietly.

"Yes, there were no survivors. Allura and I are the last of our people." Coran looked over at her with a fierce protective look. "We decided to keep her safe to make her as public a figure as possible. It will cause us issues as she does not age, but for now, it makes it very difficult for Zarkon to move against us directly."

"That's actually brilliant." Shiro commented looking between them. "I am so sorry for the loss you have suffered."

"And we are sorry for your loss." Allura nodded to his arm. "Our war has cost many." She looked over to Adam and then back to Lance and Keith and Pidge and Coleen. "But we must keep fighting, without us Zarkon would be able to move against your world. I fear if given the chance he will position himself to take it for his own, so that he can rule an empire again."

"So, what about the other lion suits? Can we find them and use them?" Keith asked.

"Two are with Zarkon, Red and Black, though we do not believe the Black suit will allow itself to be used by Zarkon anymore. We found the White Lion here and Adam was able to activate it. The others are still missing. The suits will only respond to someone with the correctly aligned quintessence, so just finding them does not guarantee we would be able to wield them." Allura responded sadly.

"No, but we might." Lance declared.

"We hoped you might think that." Coran smiled at him proudly. "We have reason to believe one of the suits may be in Cuba. When you go, it will be one of your tasks to attempt to locate and retrieve it."

"Wait? He's going back to Cuba? I thought you were fighting that?" Shiro frowned.

"We are and we will lose." Adam sighed. "There is too much Galra control in the government, we will never get Iverson's measures passed before Lance is deported."

"You're sending him back to Cuba." This time Shiro really frowned looking between Lance and Adam, then to Coran and Allura.

"Hey, I agreed to this. It's not like it wasn't going to happen whether they were involved or not and this way I'm doing something good and I've got a chance to get back." Lance defended.

"How?" Keith asked with narrowed eyes.

"How, what?" Lance looked over, nervous.

"How will you get back?"

"Oh, well not sure I should share Mr. Detective. You might arrest me when I get back." Lance looked over at Keith with suspicion.

"I think we are past that, Lance." Shiro answered. "We are in too deep for that."

Lance looked at Shiro for several minutes before nodding and answering, "I'm going to get in good with the Galra down there and manage to convince them to bring me back. Then I'll be on the inside and maybe I can get us some real information."

"You are putting him undercover!" Keith shot out of his chair. "He's a child!"

"I am not a child and I can take care of myself!" Lance shouted back.

"Right, like getting blown up? Or maybe getting pummeled by Sendak?" Keith growled.

"I can take a few hits and need I remind you, Mr. Detective, that I got blown up to save your stupid mullet!" Lance stood and shoved away from the table.

"Keith! Lance!" Shiro yelled. "Enough." You don't get to be a police captain without developing a voice that can carry over a room.

Shiro turned to Adam and Coran, "This is a shitty plan and you are putting him in too much danger." It wasn't sitting any better with him than it did with Keith. 

"Stop, please, they aren't putting me in any more danger than I put myself. I was already running errands for the Galra, I already owe them more money than I'm worth! I want to do this. I need to do this. I…" Lance took a deep breath and seemed to be holding back tears. "I need to find what they did with my parents, with Hunk's parents, and all of the others, please. I can do this." Lance met Shiro's eyes, the brilliant blue begged him to believe in him.

"Shit." Shiro sighed sitting down.

"Yes, that about sums it up doesn't it." Coleen added from her spot. "Shiro, do you really think we'd do this if we thought there was another way or if we had other options or even if Lance hadn't already been in a great deal of danger? I want Matt and Sam back, but I wouldn't be reckless with someone else's child to get them."

"Your parents are missing?" Keith asked softly.

"Yeah." Lance responded, "So are a lot of other people from my neighborhood, but we can't report them because they are illegal."

"I'm working on a missing persons case." Keith offered. "Is the Hunk you mentioned Hunk Garret?"

"Yeah." Lance sniffed, deflated from his early speech.

"I’m going to find them. We found one guy already. They had him in some kind of underground fighting thing." Keith offered. "I have a whole team working on it and the FBI is assisting." 

"Please be careful Keith. The Galra have already tried to kill you once." Allura offered quietly.

"Just means I'm getting close." Keith huffed.

"Bet you could get closer with our help." Pidge peered over the laptop.

Keith blinked and looked over to Shiro, who nodded, "I bet you're right." He gave the little gremlin a grin.

"Well then, I propose we take these fine gentlemen on a tour of our facility here, seems we may be working together on a few things." Allura smiled broadly.

Lance looked over to Keith and gave him a half grin, "You good with that Mr. Detective?"

"Guess I'm okay with it, Criminal." Keith laughed as Lance sputtered.

"A team, huh? Think the White Lion can handle not working alone?" Shiro whispered in Adam's ear.

"I think it's about time he figured out that he's stronger with his family around him." Adam turned and kissed Shiro's cheek.


	24. Chapter 24

"I have an address." Ryan's voice broke into the monotony of clicking keys and shuffling papers. "A second warehouse on the other side of town. I backtracked through a pest control company that services both sites and the bills were paid together last month. I haven't found anything else tying the two together, but I think this is real."

"Let me see." Inna flipped through his files as he pulled up the relevant information for her. "I concur."

"Want I should give the boss a call or do you want to?" Ryan grinned at her, excited at his find. 

"Your find, you call." She nodded back. "I'll go find Rizavi and Griff."

"Fine, take your excuse to go find James." Ryan winked and she smiled back, not even denying it.

Kincade picked up the phone and dialed, a few rings later a voice answered.

"Shirogane."

"Captain, I know it's your day off sir, but you said to call if there was a development. We have a lead on a second warehouse site, on the other side of town. We're headed over there to check it out. I'll send you the address and we'll get the paperwork started for the search warrant."

"Good work Kincade, proceed with extreme caution. Until that warrant comes through maintain a safe distance and I'm going to want a full swat team with you when you are ready to search the location, understood, and the bomb squad on standby. These guys have come after us once and I do not want anyone taking any chances."

"Understood, sir. I'll keep you updated."

"Thank you, Kincade, be safe."

"Ryan!" Nadia spun into the room. "Ready?"

"Willing and able." He quipped back. "We have the go ahead for surveillance. I need to drop the paperwork for the warrant off with the desk."

"Do it on the way, I so need to go do something, I've been stuck in paperwork hell all morning." Nadia whined extravagantly.

"Poor baby." He swatted at her and grabbed his papers and headed out.

***

"Hunk, don't forget Marco's lunch?" Lisa called from the other room. Hunk had been dropping it off for him each day. The family wasn't that comfortable with him in the empty warehouse alone. It felt wrong. He was not trained for security and his job as a forklift operator paid more than average. The fact that the pay hadn't decreased had them all feeling antsy.

"I got it Lisa, thanks for packing mine by the way." Hunk waved at her. She had two babies in her arms and smiled to him as he slipped out the door.

"Be safe Hunk!"

"Of course," Hunk laughed to himself, safe was such a relative term these days. Safe didn't used to mean walking to a warehouse alone, working with an evil gang, or delivering most likely illegal packages. Now safe just meant, don't die today.

Hunk left the apartment, stopping to pick up two beer cans and toss them into the recycle bin they had placed out front. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes letting the sun warm him. His mom always told him there was nothing wrong a little sunshine and some good food couldn't fix. He let the memory of her smile fill him up. He wasn't going to cry this morning, he'd done enough of it last night. It hurt, every day it hurt without them. He'd talked to Lance about it, before Lance had disappeared into whatever it was, he was into, and now he didn't know who to talk to. He didn't want to burden Lance's brothers and sisters, and he certainly couldn't talk to the kids, so he'd cried himself to sleep last night thinking about where his parents were and if they were even alive. It wasn't right that he had to worry about them, wasn't that supposed to be the other way around. He paused, he was a horrible son, of course they were worried about him. He shook his head and leaned back to breathe again. Sunshine on his face, homemade meal in his lunch sack, nothing that couldn't be fixed. His parents would come back to him. He'd see them again someday. It would all work out.

He took the next left and headed to the shady little one-bedroom house where his pick-up was this morning. He ignored the zoned-out look of the people in the front yard. He ignored the diapered baby playing alone in the rickety fenced-in back yard, a beer bottle for a toy. He ignored the creepy creek of the stairs and the way the door hung from the hinges. He ignored the guns lying on the table and the questionable packets of white whatever that was. 

"Here for a pickup for Sendak." He gave them his emotionless face. Lance had told him it made him look tougher. Hunk had told him it just made him feel empty.

Two of the guys on the sofa got up and left the room, coming back with a small cardboard box. They handed it to him without a word. Whether Hunk looked tough or not, he knew Sendak's name was enough to intimidate almost anyone in the neighborhood.

"Thanks." Hunk gave them a nod and headed out. This package was headed clear across town, but he would stop by the warehouse with Marco's lunch on the way and maybe they could have lunch together. He hopped on his bicycle and started the trek.

***

"Take him."

"No, please, he's not ready. Give him a couple more days!" Helen threw herself between the guards and Loto. He was still too weak. The fever had broken, but he could barely walk.

"He will go for training and be returned." One of the guards gave her an almost sympathetic look.

Helen let her posture relax. She could hear Loto moving behind her. 

"I'm ready." His deep voice sounded so weak.

She turned to look at him. He was standing but sweat stood out on his face. He swayed slightly but managed two steps forward. His hand brushed from her shoulder down to her hand giving her a quick squeeze before moving past and out of the cell with the guards. She stayed standing until he was out of sight and didn't even feel the impact when her knees hit the cold concrete floor. She fell onto her face sobbing. She wrapped her arms around her torso, squeezing tight, she could do this. She could be strong. She just needed to break for a minute.

"Again." The voice was detached and cold. Loto pulled himself up and began walking on the machine again. As he was walking some kind of energy surged up through the mechanical legs and he began running. He was going so fast, so much faster than normal. The energy made the legs move, but it didn't stop the pain in the stumps of his legs. It didn't stop the burning in his chest as he tried to suck in enough oxygen to support his body’s movements. Sweat poured down his face and dripped from his arms. The energy crackled again and some of it streaked up into his body. He screamed. He wanted to stop, but his body refused to stop moving. He screamed and screamed, but the energy crackled and sparked and glowed purple around his body. 

"He is performing well." The dark voice he hated echoed behind him. Haggar.

"Yes, Haggar. He has completed all of the tests you assigned." The guard from earlier spoke carefully. Everyone spoke carefully around Haggar.

"I am pleased. Continue with the training and increase the speed each day. He will be in the arena by the end of this week. Ulaz, you have done well." Haggar purred.

"Yes, Haggar. Thank you, Haggar." Ulaz bowed deeply as she left the room and he breathed a sigh of relief. He pressed the button to stop the exercise and end the energy flowing into the human. The other guard caught him so that he didn't fall. Ulaz pulled a stretcher over and the two of them lifted him onto it. Ulaz deftly inserted an IV and started a flow of liquid and proper nutrients. The experiment was draining for the human and he lost much during it. The infusions of quintessence were working though, it was keeping his body going through the trauma and helping him to heal. Ulaz was becoming concerned though, if Haggar continued the infusion after the healing was complete the human would become another of her mindless monsters. Somehow, he needed to prevent that from happening. It was a risk and there was so much at stake, but this human was special. He spoke of a son. He did all he could to protect his mate. Ulaz understood those feelings. He had a mate and a child, though no one here knew of them. They were in hiding, protected from the Empire. 

He remembered the one other human he had managed to help escape. He had been special as well, worrying for a mate and a brother left behind. Ulaz shook his head, he was getting soft. But still if he could manage it, he would see this one made it out as well.

***

"Pidge, whatcha doing?" Lance swung into the lab and leaned against the back of her chair.

"Typing, searching, thinking." Pidge responded not looking up from the computer.

"What for?"

"Connections to an address. Shiro's police flunkies found a connection to this place and I'm trying to confirm and see what it is." She responded still typing away.

"Um, what's the address, ‘cause I know where most of their warehouses are?" Pidge turned to stare at him. "Delivery boy, remember?"

She sputtered for a moment, but then just pointed at the screen, he was right, she had no idea why they hadn't just asked him about it. The groups had split off after the tour with Adam, Shiro, and Keith talking to Allura, her mom taking Coran and steering him outside for a walk, he had still looked so sad, and with her running off to check out Keith's Rebel site thing. Then Shiro had texted her this address. She honestly hadn't stopped to see where Lance had ended up, apparently, he had followed her.

"Oh no." Lance's whisper was not expected. "Pidge, I need to borrow the bike again."

"The bike you wrecked?" Pidge snarled.

"It was for a good reason and you know it." Lance frowned.

"Then give me a good reason and tell me what you know about this place!" She jabbed her finger at the screen.

"It's Galra alright, but it's just a warehouse. I've never even delivered there."

"Then how do you know it's Galra?" Pidge frowned.

"Because my brother works there, my brother who is also an illegal alien in this country and who I don't want to see get deported! Please Pidge!" Lance begged.

"Yes, fine, alright. Put your ankle over here." Pidge worked her magic and had the ankle alarm transferred and handed Lance the keys. "Just get him, not everyone, the police need to use this to build on their evidence against the Galra, okay?"

Lance frowned, "Sorry Pidgie, can't promise. I'm warning anyone I know that needs to stay away from people with badges…except the Galra, the police can have all of them."

Pidge snorted, "Just be careful, please, actually really careful this time."

"You got it. Cover for me with the good detectives?" He gave her a wink.

"Get out of here before you get caught and before the surveillance team makes it to the warehouse." She slapped him on the shoulder, and he laughed as he took off, howling again as he revved the bike and spun out of the garage area.

Pidge slipped on her headphones and activated the com, "That spin was not inspiring confidence in your ability to not be seen, not get caught or be careful!" She snarled at him and he laughed. "I have the worst taste in friends."

"Only the best for you Pidge, someday I'll introduce you to my friend Hunk. He's like a mechanical monster and can build anything." Lance smiled as he eased the bike onto the highway and up to speed. He should be able to beat the police by nearly twenty minutes based on Pidge's estimate.

"Sounds like someone I could appreciate," Pidge hummed. 

***

"Marco!"

The young man turned to face the older one walking into the empty warehouse, "Yes, sir?"

"Good work getting this place cleaned out."

"It wasn't just me, sir, the whole crew helped. I've just been assigned to watch over it, I guess until they get someone for security?" Marco was not comfortable with this current position. He was a forklift driver and made a decent wage, it felt off to leave him sitting in an empty space.

"Well, that's taken care of," Haxus smiled, "I have a forklift job for you. Time to put you back to work."

"I'd like that, sir, not a big fan of sitting around all day." Marco laughed. He was nervous talking with Haxus. He knew who he was and did not really want anything to do with him or Sendak for that matter. He usually only had to deal with minor underlings, some of which were even okay, but the bosses, well that sucked.

"Good, there is a cell phone factory on 18th street, here." Haxus pulled up the address on his phone. "I need you to report there right away. Can you handle it?"

"I'll walk right there, sir." Marco gave him a thin smile and avoided the hand that tried to rest on his shoulder.

"See that you do, and I'll give you credit for time and a half today." Haxus nodded and narrowed his eyes, as though considering Marco, before relaxing and waving him off.

Marco walked away headed the correct direction. Haxus relaxed and dialed his cell.

"Sendak?"

"Is it empty?"

"Completely, sir, I just sent the last worker over to a factory. The police can have a field day here, they won't find anything. This will be where the trail ends." Haxus responded confidently.

"Very good Haxus. Any sightings of Lance?"

"No," Haxus frowned he was not keen on hitting the boy right now, he was too high profile. Given time the media and Senator would forget about the boy and he would be theirs again, but Sendak was obsessed. "You know our source has reported that he hasn't left the Altean embassy."

"Too bad, we have so much to discuss,” Sendak laughed and Haxus had an idea what Sendak wanted to "discuss" with the boy. "Wait there until the surveillance team arrives, make note of who is on it. It seems we have more hunters that need to be sent off the trail."

"As you say sir." Haxus made himself comfortable. He had his bike and could get away quickly if needed.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it lives...:) Sorry for the long delay, hopefully back in the groove and back to your normally scheduled every other Monday update :)

***

Lance pulled the bike up to the warehouse where Marco worked, but something was wrong. There were no cars. There weren't any guys sitting outside smoking cigarettes, no one taking an early lunch. It just looked empty. He cautiously pulled up to the door at the side and stepped off the bike. He had a bad feeling, like he was being watched, so he left his helmet on. 

"Pidge. No one's here." Lance whispered.

"Then why are you whispering?" She snorted.

"Because they should be, there should be like fifty people here working." Lance crept forward and pushed the door open. "Oh."

"Oh? Oh what?" Pidge growled, her nerves making her cranky.

"It's empty, like completely, looks like Shiro's detectives aren't going to have much luck with anything here." Lance sighed, he really did want the detectives to be able to stop the Galra, as long as no one else in his family got deported in the process.

"Get out of there then, Lance. Just come on back, we can call your friend or your family and figure out where Marco is working now." Pidge was mostly relieved, not finding anything meant that Lance hadn't interfered in the police investigation.

"Wait, someone's coming." Lance was just closing the door when he heard sounds from the other end of the alley. He knelt beside the bike, it wasn’t like he was completely hidden, but maybe not as noticeable he hoped. There was a dumpster further down the alley, but he didn’t think he could reach it in time.

"No wait, no get out of there faster." Pidge huffed, this up and down emotions thing was not okay.

"Too late." Lance whispered. He squinted against the sun and watched as someone rode a bicycle into the alley, a very familiar someone. "Oh hey, it's okay, it's Hunk." 

Pidge breathed out the air she had been holding, "Okay, well I guess you can find out about Marco then, but get him and get away from that building before you both get arrested and then I get arrested for wearing your damn anklet."

"Right." Lance frowned. "Hey, Hunk!" Lance stood and removed his helmet smiling and waving at his friend.

"Lance? What are you doing here?" Hunk rushed forward and wrapped him into a full bone crushing hug.

"I was looking for Marco, but we need to get out of here. There are some cops on the way. I was going to warn Marco, but he's not here." Lance answered slightly out of breath from the hug.

"He's not here? But he was, he was standing in as security since they emptied the place. I was just stopping by to give him his lunch." Hunk held up the bag. "Maybe they moved him over to a different site already?" 

"Maybe." Lance frowned. Marco could be in trouble, but he wasn't sure how to go about finding out. Either way he had to get himself and Hunk out of here before the cops saw them. Lance put his arm around Hunk's neck and pulled him toward their bikes, "Let's get out of here."

***

Haxus watched from his vantage point as the motorcycle pulled up the warehouse, the very familiar vehicle and very familiar rider. He narrowed his eyes and went back to his own bike, pulling his rifle from the custom bag on the side. He moved slowly, carefully. The anger thrumming through his veins made him want to rush, but he wouldn't. No, he would do this slow. This, whoever they were, they were the reason his bomb hadn't worked, they were the reason Sendak was pissed at him, they were the reason he'd gotten a beatdown from Lotor's bitches. He was not going to let them slip through his fingers.

He leaned against the bike, using the seat to rest his arm on as he knelt and brought the rifle to his knee, staring down the scope. This was too easy, maybe he'd kneecap him and then go down and do it nice and slow. His lips curled in a smile savoring the idea of inflicting as much pain as possible on the unknown rider in blue.

He cursed when he heard someone coming, looking down the alley, he saw one of the regular couriers. He was often seen eating lunch at this warehouse, so maybe he just didn't know it was empty. He swiveled back to the rider, his breath catching in shock and anger as the helmet was removed and the face was revealed. That traitor! Sendak was going to have a field day when Haxus brought him in, because killing just became too good for Blue. No Blue was going to face Sendak. He just needed to eliminate the collateral and collect his prize. 

He stared down the scope, lined up his shot and fired.

***

"What are you doing?" 

Keith's husky whisper made Pidge jump out of her chair. He raised an eyebrow at her and stared.

"Nothing. What are you doing, what are you doing here?" Pidge huffed frustrated at her reaction.

"We finished touring and there is a lot of talking and Shiro and Adam making eyes at each other so…I came to find you. So, what did I catch you doing?" His eyes were now narrowed.

"You haven't caught me doing anything. You just startled me." She growled and turned back to tapping on the computer, hoping Keith didn't notice that she didn't have anything open.

"So, really." Keith crossed his arms and stared at her.

"I am not in your interrogation room. Stop treating me like a common criminal that's hiding something." Pidge's shoulders tensed and her gut churned. Lying to Keith sucked and she didn't want to do it and she was pretty sure he knew she was doing it.

"I'm not treating you like a common criminal, maybe an evil mastermind." Keith huffed. "And you are hiding something."

"I'm…" Just then a crackling voice sounded from somewhere on her workbench.

"Hey, Pidge, we're heading out. I'm taking Hunk back to the castle."

"The hell Pidge!" Keith growled looking down and seeing the blinking ankle alarm on her leg.

"I can explain, Keith." Pidge held up her hands.

"You can explain breaking the law?! He has that tracker on for a reason! Do you know how much trouble all of us could get into? Do you know they will just put him back in a facility and everything you're working on is going to…" Keith broke off into harsh coughs, and in the background, Lance started yelling.

"Keith? Detective Mullet?! Shit! Hey, I'm sorry, really, I'll explain when I get there. This is totally my fault not Pidge's. Hey don't…"

The loud crack of a rifle being fired split the air, stunning everyone into silence.

***

Yvlik watched Haxus from afar, this was all too good to be true. The idiot was laid out on a silver platter. 

"Give me the boss." He spoke into his phone.

"Yvlik?" The gruff voice answered.

"Boss, I have an opportunity."

"Sendak?" The gruff voice seemed pleased.

"Haxus. It may cost a couple of men, but I think it will be worth it." Yvlik preened at pleasing his boss.

"Use Sendak's men." Prorak growled almost happily.

"Of course," Yvlik grinned. At the cost of a few foot soldiers he would make sure Haxus and Sendak went away for a long time, maybe even permanently. He hung up the phone and dialed the number of one of Sendak's little gang of thugs.

"What?" The voice on the other side growled.

"Manners." Yvlik snipped. "I have a job for you."

"I only take jobs from Haxus or Sendak and you ain't them." The growling voice snarled.

"Absolute brain trust, aren't you?" Yvlik sneered.

"What? What's that mean?" The voice snapped. "That some kind of insult?"

"Only if you understand. I need you to deliver a message to Haxus. He is at the old warehouse on Second, the one that was just emptied." 

"I know it." Growly answered.

"Good, your boss is in trouble. There is a group of four detectives headed his way to arrest him. You need to get him out of there or stop them. You think you can handle that?" Yvlik personally doubted they could handle anything, but it really didn't matter if they succeeded or not.

"A few cops, not an issue." Growly seemed pleased with the assignment.

"Good. Now hurry. I'm sure if you rescue Haxus, both he and Sendak will be very grateful." Yvlik felt a satisfied smirk on his lips. This was going perfectly.

***

"Holy crow! Pidge! The freaking suit is bullet proof!" Lance screamed as the bullet bounced off his arm. It took him two seconds to realize if he hadn't put his arm up just when he did the bullet would have hit Hunk in the head. "Move Hunk, come here!" Lance pulled his friend with him; the bigger boy was frozen in fear staring at Lance's arm that had just saved his life.

Lance dragged Hunk with him. He tried to put himself between Hunk and where the shot had come from. He was not just going to let someone shot Hunk. At some point he realized there were voices screaming at him from the helmet and slipped it back on.

"What was that? Who is shooting? Get out of there!" from the Mullet.

"Not bullet proof, resistant, you are not a freaking shield!" Pidge screeched. Lance had to ponder if she had some kind of camera on him, because that was exactly what he was being right now.

"Oh." Another shot rang out, impacting against Lance's leg and ricocheting toward Hunk. They both cried out and dove forward for cover behind a dumpster.

"Lance?!" Pidge and Keith's voice blended together in concerned anger. Lance ignored them in favor of my pressing matters.

"Hunk?!" Lance turned to his friend who was whimpering and holding his bleeding thigh. "Oh man, oh man. Guys, Hunk is hurt. Someone is shooting at us or more at him. I…we need help! I don't think I can get him on the bike with his leg hurt."

"I'm getting Adam." Pidge yelled into the com and after a couple of beeps another voice joined.

"Pidge?" Adam sounded confused.

"Adam! I need your help. Hunk's hurt!" Lance cried into the com.

"What? Where are you?" Adam demanded.

"Um…the warehouse where the detectives are going?" Lance murmured.

"What?!" This time Adam, Keith, and Shiro yelled into the com.

"Look, you can yell at me all you want when we get Hunk out of here, but right now someone is trying to shoot him. So please, I need your help. We are hiding behind a dumpster and," the sound of more gunfire echoed, "this guy is really determined."

"On my way." Adam's calm voice seemed to help the panic Lance was feeling as he frantically pressed down on the bleeding wound on Hunk's leg. Hunk was pale and stared at Lance in horror.

"It's okay, Hunk. It's going to be okay." Lance tried to reassure over the sound of more gunfire.

"Lance, the detectives are in route and have been notified of shots fired at the site. Stay down and out of sight." Shiro spoke into the com. "Put pressure on the wound."

"Yeah. I am. It's…I mean it seems like a lot of blood." Lance blinked, feeling very unsure as his friend’s blood poured out. What if he couldn’t stop the bleeding? Couldn't someone bleed to death in like three minutes?

"Lance? Is the shooter still in the same place? Are they moving?" Keith now.

"I don't know. I'm sort of hiding." Lance snapped. He wasn’t about to stick his head out and look around. Having a hole in his head did not seem like a good addition to the situation.

"Can you tell from the shots? Listen, are they closer, from a different angle when they hit?" Keith asked surprisingly patiently.

"Um…yeah. I, shit, yeah. I think he's moving." Lance growled. Hunk whimpered again in the background and Lance felt his heart shrivel at the sound. Hunk should never be hurt. This sucked hard.

"Do you have a weapon?" Keith asked.

"Keith?!" Shiro objected.

"No." Lance answered and at the same time Pidge responded. "Yes."

"What?" Lance blinked.

"Lance, there is a taser in the glove. Push the green button on the left arm and it comes out from the top of the glove. Also, there is a shield. Push the yellow button on the right arm and you'll have a shield." Pidge rattled.

"How did you know I was lefthanded?" Lance wondered, pushing the buttons and watching in wonder as two green spikes pushed through the left glove to finish just past the tips of his fingers and the glowing yellow shield appeared on his arm. It wasn't large, more of a buckler, but It was better than nothing.

"Didn't, Adam is."

"Guys, I don't think I can do this. I have a shield and a taser. He's got a freaking gun. I'm not a fighter." Lance prattled nervously, trying to figure out where to expect an attack from. It wasn’t like he was much of a fighter his biggest strength to date was the ability to take a beating.

"I'm coming Lance, you just need to hold him off." Adam's voice sounded strained.

"The police are on their way as well, maybe he'll just leave when they get there. I doubt he wants to be arrested." Shiro tried.

"Right, Right, okay I got this. Hunk?" Lance sighed. "I'm worried. He's not talking to me, but the bleeding seems to have slowed, but he's…Hunk?" Lance brushed his hand on Hunk's face. Hunk blinked and seemed to notice Lance for the first time in a while.

"Are you okay?" His voice wobbled and a couple of tears fell from his brown eyes.

"Am I okay, Hunk buddy, I think I'm supposed to ask you that." Lance smiled with tears in his own eyes.

"I'm… it hurts." Hunk winced. "I can move. Just tell me what to do."

"Can you get to the bike?" Adam again.

"I don't know. Not with that guy shooting at us. I not a good shield for Hunk." Lance sighed. He looked at Hunk again and over to the back, almost 20 feet away.

"I'm sorry." Hunk whispered.

"Ah no way man, I'm sorry, this has to be my fault." Lance turned to give Hunk a quick smile. He had no doubt that this was all his fault, because Hunk would never do something that would make someone want to kill him. Hunk was the definition of good.

"I'm afraid." Hunk told Lance quietly. Lance nodded.

"Me too, but we got this, right?" Lance met his eyes steadily, raising the shield and taser into a fighting stance. 

"Right." Hunk nodded.

“Okay, if he comes around the corner, I’m going to hit him with the taser, and you are going to book it for the bike. Hopefully it knocks him on his ass, and we can get out of here.” Lance steeled himself for the confrontation, getting the drop on the shooter was his best option.

“And if it doesn’t?” Hunk worried.

“You still head for the bike, cause it’s you he’s shooting at and I’ll just slow him down until back up arrives.” Lance hoped he sounded a lot more confident about plan B than he actually felt. Judging by the nervous nod Hunk gave him he’s guessing not so much.

***

**Author's Note:**

> Author's notes: This is my first try at an AU, and writing Adam, so hope it works. This is a request story. Not sure how quick I'm going to update, I've got three stories running in my head right now :)
> 
> First time posting something on AO3/ cross-posted on Fanfiction.net


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